New AI browsers emerge as AI startups target Google Chrome's dominance

A new wave of artificial intelligence (AI) startups is moving aggressively into the web browser market, intensifying competition for one of the most critical entry points to the internet. This move marks a direct challenge to Google’s long-standing dominance.

In the past few months, several leading AI companies have either launched their own browsers or integrated their AI tools into existing browsers.

OpenAI and Perplexity have both introduced AI-centric browsers, while Microsoft has integrated its Copilot assistance into the already existing Edge browser. This enables users to interact with AI while browsing.

Experts note that this represents the most significant shift in the global browser market in nearly two decades.

President of the Mozilla Foundation, Mark Surman, noted that browsers powered by AI will reshape how people search on the web, emphasising that Mozilla plans to let Firefox users freely choose which AI models they want to integrate.

Despite this changing trend, competition remains fierce. Data from Cloudflare shows that Google Chrome is still dominating the global browser market, with over 63% market share. Considering the current trend, Google has also synced its Gemini AI model into Chrome.

Additionally, the company is also preparing for an “AI model” for search and Chrome, providing conversational Q&A features similar to ChatGPT.

The real reason for entering the browser market is the commercial value it offers. They provide direct user access, valuable behavioural data to enhance large language models and new opportunities for advertising and monetisation.