Atlas Carries a Half-Finished Browser, Not the World

A sincere call to Sam Altman not to make Chrome clones

Atlas Carries a Half-Finished Browser, Not the World

A sincere call to Sam Altman not to make Chrome clones

The entry of artificial intelligence into browsers, the “Agentic Browser” revolution, is one of the hottest topics in the tech world. Yes, these browsers are an unavoidable need. While drowning in information overload, we need smart tools that will automate repetitive tasks to save time and increase productivity. But the main question is: How logical is it for OpenAI to enter these new browser wars with OpenAI Atlas? The general opinion, which I also agree with, is that AI-powered browsers are necessary, but OpenAI should not get involved in this business.

Atlas’s Early Launch Mistake

Although OpenAI’s success in the AI field with ChatGPT is undeniable, getting into the browser business seems like trying to force out a product using its powerful language model. Based on my experience, Atlas’s launch gave the impression of a product released too early.

When I installed Atlas on my Mac, which is not yet available on Microsoft Windows computers, it was concerning that it struggled even with basic tasks. It made me question: “How helpful can an AI be that cannot tell the difference between read and unread emails?” Also, it was awkward that Atlas presented features like summarization, which have already been used in Microsoft Edge browser with the Copilot extension for a long time, as if they were new.

Because Atlas is based on Chromium, it looks very familiar to Chrome users. This familiarity makes adaptation easier on one hand, but on the other hand, it brings up the question: “Why should I switch from Chrome?” OpenAI’s strategy here is clear: to capture market share by copying Google’s logic of collecting search data and connecting to the ecosystem. However, a browser that does everything but does it halfway and has problems even in basic functions will have difficulty achieving this goal.

Who Is in the Market?

While competition in the AI browser market is heating up, there are players that are significantly ahead of Atlas and offer more specific solutions:

1. Perplexity Comet: This browser positions itself as your personal assistant and thinking partner. It is considered one of the best in the market for research because it always shows the sources of its answers and makes it easy to verify accuracy. Also, the ad blocking feature is liked by users.

2. Dia (The Browser Company): Chromium-based Dia uses ChatGPT 5 in the background. Its standout feature is personalization and memory capability. Thanks to the memory feature, Dia learns from your sites, conversations, and preferences; however, even though these activities are summarized and sent to servers, keeping the data on your device is somewhat reassuring for those with privacy concerns.

3. Microsoft Edge (Copilot Mode): Microsoft, OpenAI’s biggest investor, introduced the improved Copilot Mode just two days after Atlas. It is also notable that these two products look incredibly similar visually. Copilot in Edge handles tasks like filling out forms or booking hotels with “Actions” and offers a “Journeys” feature that tracks connections between open tabs. This situation strengthens my thought that OpenAI should leave this job to its main investor.

4. BrowserOS: An open-source and also Chromium-based alternative for users who prioritize privacy. Its most important advantage is using local (on-device) agents so that queries and data are not seen by third parties. It can automate tasks like extracting data from websites or comparing product prices at different sellers.

Why Should OpenAI Step Back?

AI browsers have the potential to redefine internet usage. However, the risks in this area are also big. Especially, Prompt Injection attacks that can force AI agents to steal your data or do unwanted actions present a serious nightmare scenario in terms of security. Security experts say much deeper control is needed to trust these products.

OpenAI’s effort to be in every field prevents the company from focusing its resources and specializing. Competitors like Anthropic have significantly surpassed OpenAI models even in coding by focusing only on core language models. This is correct strategic positioning: Not getting involved in everything.

Hey Sam Altman, Listen to Me

Dear OpenAI executives and of course Sam Altman, please give up this half-finished browser adventure. You have revolutionary language models; let Google and your biggest investor Microsoft handle the browser business. Because everyone knows there is a need for the future of the internet, but nobody needs an assistant that cannot tell if an email has been read or not. AI browser wars have returned, but OpenAI seems to have entered this war with an old Chrome shell that just has a new AI sticker on it. The age of specialization has come: Please direct your resources to more niche and deep solutions. Otherwise, Atlas will be doomed to stay on dusty shelves as just “an inadequate application made once in technology history.”

By the way, we made a video about this topic with Burak Su last week. If you want to watch it, let me take you here.

See you in the next article.