OpenAI has dominated the AI space with ChatGPT for years now, so it was no surprise that, after months of speculation, it has finally released its own AI browser. Atlas, OpenAI’s AI-powered browser, is likely to be the biggest competition Chrome has ever had, and yet, I don’t think I’ll be moving over.
This isn’t because I think Atlas will be bad by any means. In fact, I’m looking forward to trying it out. I also think, from what OpenAI has stated before, that it will be a great competitor to Google and the perfect option for a lot of people.
However, from what I’ve gathered so far, it doesn’t feel like it’s right for me personally. Here’s why.
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My experience with Comet
(Image credit: Perplexity)
Since it launched, I have spent a lot of time using Perplexity’s Comet. This is possibly the best comparison that is out there to Google Atlas right now. They both feature AI assistants and are both built on the Chromium layout.
Both are designed using leading AI models, putting the focus on the idea of an AI agent completing tasks for you. However, while I was initially really impressed by these functions when I started using Comet, I have quickly found that, once the excitement wears off, I very rarely use the assistant.
It has its occasional uses. I like using it to explain an article to me, and the one feature that I have used time and time again is its ability to find and book a restaurant. But, for the most part, the times I have gone to use the AI assistant have felt slim.
Yes, Atlas will most likely do it better and quicker (Sorry Perplexity), but it is less a concern of ability for me. Maybe I’m just too old school, but I just rarely find the need to let an AI agent take over.
Equally, I often found myself doing half the work anyway, filling in a load of information for Comet (or in this case, Atlas) to just do the final steps for me.
ChatGPT already does everything I need
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
As I said before, I use ChatGPT a lot. While I have jumped around AI models, switching between ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude, OpenAI’s model has been the one that I have used the most by far.
With recent updates to ChatGPT, including the Agent feature, improvements to coding, and interactions with apps like Spotify and Booking.com, ChatGPT already does a lot of the stuff that I would want from Atlas.
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In fact, there is a part of me that quite enjoys keeping the two parts separate. When researching a topic, I will read through the content myself and ask ChatGPT for assistance on the finer points.
Security concerns
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
AI browsers in this current version remain a fairly new invention. While we’ve seen AI built into the likes of Chrome and DuckDuckGo for a while, they are simply features alongside the browsers.
With Comet and now Atlas, these are browsers that give AI a lot of power in the ways that you browse the internet.
Being new and given this much power can produce teething problems, as identified by Brave, a competitor browsing company. “The security vulnerability we found in Perplexity’s Comet browser this summer is not an isolated issue,” Brave posted on X.
The security vulnerability we found in Perplexity’s Comet browser this summer is not an isolated issue.Indirect prompt injections are a systemic problem facing Comet and other AI-powered browsers.Today we’re publishing details on more security vulnerabilities we uncovered.October 21, 2025
“Indirect prompt injections are a systematic problem facing Comet and other AI-powered browsers.”
These ‘indirect prompt injections’ occur when malicious instructions are hidden in web content like webpages. When AI models analyze the content, they can obey the hidden instructions found inside.
Brave found likes between these injections and browsers like Comet, with risks of a user’s bank details or work logins being leaked.
However, it is worth noting that these are unlikely risks, and can be worked on by companies like OpenAI and Perplexity to avoid. For now, I want to wait and see what kind of problems need to be ironed out with Atlas before committing to using it on big tasks.
Google Chrome remains a great browser
(Image credit: Deepanker Verma/Pexels)
When OpenAI announced the launch of its browser yesterday, the stock value of Alphabet (the owner of Google) shot down. This won’t seem all that surprising. Atlas is positioned first and foremost as a competitor to Chrome, and very well could be the browser that brings it down.
However, I’ve been using Chrome for years and, for the most part, have never had any issues with it. Maybe I’ll try out Atlas and instantly feel any fondness that I have for Chrome fade away.
Not to mention, Chrome has just become easy to use. As Anthony Spadafora, Tom’s Guide’s Managing Editor for Security and Home Office content, points out, you can’t easily switch between accounts on ChatGPT Atlas.
As Anthony Spadafora, Tom’s Guide’s Managing Editor for Security and Home Office content, points out, you can’t easily switch between accounts on ChatGPT Atlas.
I like being able to easily switch between my work and personal Chrome accounts, being able to utilise the different layouts, preferences, and histories when needed. While this feature might come later, it is a small but annoying inconvenience for me.
Atlas is built on the same system after all, both using Chromium, and the look is very similar. This is the same case as Perplexity’s Comet, and it often feels like you’re using Chrome… just with a plug-in or some kind of theme applied.
What I’m hoping for from Atlas, and what it would take for me to move over, would be for it to be more than just an overlay of Chrome. That is how Comet often feels, but ChatGPT, with all of its features, money and relationships with big companies, could go the extra mile.
While it will take a lot to tear me away from Chrome, if anything was going to make me change browsers, it would be this.
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