Thursday, October 23, 2025

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OpenAI Launches AI Browser: Just Chromium with AI Added

Analysis of new AI browsers built on Chromium with minimal innovation

From Hacker News Original Article Hacker News Discussion

OpenAI's new AI browser, Atlas, is essentially the Chromium browser with AI features added, a pattern followed by several other AI browsers. This has sparked skepticism about the innovation behind these products, as they mostly repurpose existing technology rather than creating new browser engines.

Why it matters: Most AI browsers are just Chromium with AI layers, offering little genuine innovation in browser technology.

The big picture: Building a new browser engine from scratch remains extremely difficult, encouraging reliance on Chromium's mature platform.

The stakes: Relying on AI-enhanced Chromium browsers raises privacy and data profiling concerns amid evolving web complexity.

Commenters say: Many express disappointment over lack of originality but acknowledge Chromium's robustness; privacy and the true impact of AI browsers are debated.