I tried ChatGPT’s Atlas browser to rival Google

After a few minutes of using ChatGPT Atlas, the new internet browser from OpenAI, I ran into quite a big roadblock.

It's not Google Chrome, which about 60% of people use. Everything is built around a chatbot that you have to communicate with while surfing the Internet.

“Message limit reached,” one note read. “No available model supports the tools used,” said another.

And then: “You have reached your free plan limit for GPT-5.”

OpenAI says it will make using the Internet easier and more efficiently. One step closer to a “real super helper.”

But assistants, super or not, aren't free—and the company needs to start making a lot more money from its 800 million users.

OpenAI says Atlas offers us the opportunity to “reimagine what it means to use the Internet.”

At first, it's somewhat similar to Apple's Chrome or Safari, with the big difference being the chatbot in the sidebar.

The train booking site offered the option to “highlight deals” or compare prices with other places.

I asked to book a train for me but was told it was only available to paying ChatGPT customers.

Later I tried something simpler: I asked it to redirect me to an article I was reading the other day but couldn't remember what website it was on.

It's just the beginning, but there is potential for big changes in how we use the Internet.

One thing is clear: this will be a premium product that will only work at full capacity if you pay a subscription fee.

Given that we are so used to using the Internet for free, many people will have to radically change their habits.

OpenAI's founding mission was to create artificial general intelligence—roughly speaking, AI that could match human intelligence.

So how can a browser help in this mission?

Actually this is not true. But it may bring in some income.

The firm has convinced venture capitalists and investors to back it with billions of dollars – and at some point it will have to start showing a return on those investments.

In other words, you need to make money.

But raising money in the traditional Internet way—advertising—can be risky.

“OpenAI may be tempted to run ads to recoup costs and make a profit, but it also needs to provide a good user experience to stand out in a competitive market,” said Stephanie Liu, senior analyst at Forrester.

OpenAI will hope that its users find it good enough to want to start paying, but only about 5% of ChatGPT users pay for a subscription, according to OpenAI. Financial Times.

Another thing Atlas can do is give the firm access to a huge amount of user data.

AI tools like this are ultimately about scale: the more data you give them, the better they get.

The web is designed to be used by humans, so if Atlas can monitor us (like how we book train tickets), it can learn to better navigate these kinds of processes.

“It is not yet known how OpenAI will use user data from Atlas, but for users who prefer anonymity and privacy, the browser may pose too much of a risk,” Ms. Liu said.

Then we move on to competitions.

Google Chrome is so dominant that authorities around the world have begun raising his eyebrows and words like “monopoly” are used.

Conquering this market will not be easy.

Google's Gemini AI is now part of the search engine, and Microsoft has added Copilot to its Edge browser.

Back in the early days of ChatGPT, some called it “Google killer“- this will be a game changer that will make online search as we know it unnecessary.

This hasn't happened yet. But Eric Goins, founder of app developer Flywheel Studios, thinks it's possible.

He said Google built its business on “being the middleman between users and websites,” while ChatGPT “cuts out the middleman entirely.”

“You no longer search for ‘hotels in Miami’ and look at Google results,” he said.

“You just ask ChatGPT and it connects you directly.”

It remains to be seen whether enough people are willing to pay for this little extra convenience – and there's a long way to go before Google is toppled.