Opera's AI Browser Operator: Web Automation is Here!

03/03/2025 Browsers

Opera is jumping headfirst into the AI game with its brand-new "Browser Operator," an AI agent designed to handle tasks across various websites for you. Forget tedious online chores – Opera wants to automate it all!

Imagine this: you need new socks, tickets to the big game, and a flight/hotel combo for a quick getaway. In a demo, Opera showed Browser Operator doing exactly that: finding the perfect socks on Walmart, snagging football tickets directly from the club's website, and scouting flights and hotels on Booking.com. Pretty neat, huh?

The company plans to roll out Browser Operator via its Feature Drop program soon. While we're waiting, the big question is: how smart is it? Can it only handle specific websites, or can it tackle broader requests like, "Find me the cheapest flight from London to New York for tomorrow," scouring multiple sites in the process? We'll have to wait and see!

Security First

Opera already offers AI features that let you quiz the webpage you're currently browsing. But Browser Operator seems to take things to a whole new level.

Opera emphasizes that you're always in control. You can watch what the agent is doing and jump in to take over at any moment. Plus, they claim Browser Operator is more secure than other AI agents because it runs natively on your device, not on a cloud server or virtual machine.

The AI Browser Battle is On!

The AI browser space is getting crowded. OpenAI has its own "Operator" for ChatGPT Pro users, The Browser Company (Arc Browser) is teasing "Dia" with agent-like capabilities, and Perplexity is prepping "Comet." It's a browser battle royale, and we're here for it!