OpenAI challenges Google with ChatGPT Atlas
OpenAI has officially launched ChatGPT Atlas, a web browser built around its flagship generative AI, with the goal of reshaping how we navigate the web and putting pressure on the likes of Google Chrome.
This browser built around ChatGPT was released globally on October 21, 2025 for macOS users.
ChatGPT Atlas replaces the traditional address bar paradigm with a browser interface centered on the ChatGPT experience itself. Rather than toggling between tabs or copying and pasting text, users can interact with ChatGPT continuously while browsing, receiving context-aware assistance.
An optional agent mode available to users on paid tiers (ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business), enables the AI to perform searches, analyze content, and even automate tasks based on the browsing context.
Behind the scenes is a feature called ‘browser memories,’ which allows ChatGPT to remember and recall contextual information from sites visited if the user elects to enable it.
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To ease adoption, OpenAI lets users import bookmarks, saved passwords, and browsing history directly from their current browsers upon first use.
In September 2025, Google Chrome commanded approximately 71.9 percent of global browser market share.
OpenAI’s rollout of Atlas arrives amid an aggressive growth and capital expansion phase. At its DevDay event earlier this month, it disclosed that ChatGPT now has 800 million weekly active users, up from 400 million earlier in 2025.
To bolster its product and infrastructure ambitions, OpenAI has also made notable acquisitions as the AI coding tool company Windsurf (formerly Codeium) in a deal worth $3 billion, and the product-testing firm Statsig for $1.1 billion.
It further secured a $300 billion, five-year cloud computing arrangement with Oracle to support its AI workloads.
OpenAI plans to roll out Atlas to Windows, iOS, and Android devices in the near future.
