Ai-powered Web Browsers Want To Help People Save Time. But Are They Effective?

First they took attraction of your writing. Now, artificial intelligence systems are looking to do your web browsing for you.

A caller slate of AI-powered web browsers person travel onto nan scene, arsenic AI companies look for much ways to merge their devices into regular life.

Perplexity AI’s web browser, Comet, launched connected Wednesday to overmuch fanfare from immoderate tech circles, arsenic early users tested retired its capabilities. It enters a crowded space, which includes products for illustration Dia, Google’s Gemini successful Chrome, and a reported upcoming browser from ChatGPT creator, OpenAI.

Perplexity touts Comet, disposable only to those connected nan company’s $200-per-month tier, arsenic a “thought partner” that helps users execute tasks without having to do nan activity of really browsing. In tests, NBC News recovered that nan browser tin book reservations, hole online purchases and scheme a afloat vacation. But nan process wasn’t arsenic seamless arsenic it appears successful nan demos.

The browser is portion of an escalating title to beforehand AI agents, aliases AI systems that tin make decisions and return action connected a user’s behalf. When users chat pinch a instrumentality for illustration Claude aliases ChatGPT, they type a mobility and get a response, but they still request to determine what to do pinch nan answer. An AI agent, however, will nonstop questions straight to nan browser and moreover make caller ones based connected its knowledge astir you and make decisions proactively.

A browser-native AI mightiness effort to study your routine; for example, erstwhile you eat lunch. When lunchtime arrives, it tin automatically bid 1 of your favourite meals aliases moreover reserve a array astatine your favourite restaurant.

Comet opens to Perplexity’s AI hunt motor and its AI operates successful a sidebar. In tests conducted by NBC News, Comet was capable to assistance successful tasks for illustration applying to jobs, buying a caller outfit and booking a gym visit. But it often required involution from nan user, mostly owed to privateness restrictions that forestall it from accessing and inputting individual accusation without a quality taking nan last steps.

When trying to make a acquisition online, for example, nan Comet adjunct stated that it can’t straight behaviour immoderate transactions, though it offered to assistance successful different ways, specified arsenic search down deals aliases comparing products. It tin besides adhd items to nan user’s cart.

“For your privateness and security, I cannot accept, process, aliases shop immoderate individual aliases costs information, and I americium not capable to complete transactions aliases purchases connected your behalf,” nan adjunct wrote. “This argumentation protects your delicate information and ensures safe, responsible usage of this assistant.”

And erstwhile asking nan browser adjunct to use to a occupation connected Indeed, it navigated to nan site, selected a occupation and started nan exertion process — though it needed nan personification to log into nan tract connected their own. It past told nan user, “You will still request to reappraisal and taxable immoderate exertion yourself, particularly if nan exertion requires individual specifications aliases verification steps that only you tin provide.”

The browser did, however, successfully book a gym circuit — pinch immoderate other prodding. When first asked to book nan tour, Comet claimed a sojourn had been scheduled. When pushed for confirmation, it revealed that it had only landed connected a “placeholder aliases a pre-selection” page. Asking it to book again prompted nan adjunct to petition nan required accusation from nan personification earlier filling retired and submitting nan shape successful existent clip wrong nan browser.

Comet besides appears tin of knowing aggregate tabs astatine once. When asked to comparison a action of gyms based connected nan user’s unfastened tabs, it produced a floor plan comparing rank prices of nan gyms whose websites were unfastened successful nan browser.

Perplexity says nan browser will rotation retired to further users complete nan summertime done an invite-based strategy earlier yet becoming free for use.

AI agents person go much communal connected nan net this twelvemonth arsenic companies person added nan devices to their websites. Expedia’s AI recreation agent is already tin of readying itineraries and booking trips. And Walmart successful June launched an AI shopping assistant that tin make recommendations and, soon, will thief shoppers reorder products aliases book services.

The agents get arsenic take of generative AI surpassed take of nan net and individual computers astatine akin points of their development. It is besides winning complete cardinal user demographics: spot successful AI was 60% among individuals ages 18 to 24 and 62% among those earning complete $100,000 a year, according to a Rutgers University-New Brunswick survey.

Some expect artificial intelligence to switch hunt engines, pinch Apple Senior Vice President Eddy Cue testifying that Google searches fell successful Safari for nan first clip successful history successful April 2025 and linking that driblet to AI.

In its efforts to support up pinch nan AI web revolution, Google has rolled retired an “AI Mode” successful its hunt motor and now offers its Gemini adjunct arsenic an add-on successful Chrome. But Comet much broadly integrates its AI functions into nan default web interface.