OpenAI is pulling the plug on its dedicated web browser, ChatGPT Atlas. Instead of investing in an AI browser with a small user base, the company is improving agentic web use features inside the new ChatGPT desktop app.

While ChatGPT Atlas may not have gained much traction, AI browsers can be useful for automating tasks like research, browser tidiness, and more. Here are options available on the Mac.

Prior to ChatGPT Atlas being discontinued, OpenAI released a ChatGPT Chrome extension. This brings a lot of the ChatGPT integration to the most popular web browser.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT Chrome extension, of course, will work in any Chromium-based browser that supports Chrome extensions. Google also bakes Gemini into Chrome, so users have options.

Meanwhile, Perplexity has regularly updated its Comet browser, which works with a variety of AI systems. While Comet started on the Mac, Perplexity has been bringing the same features to Comet for iPhone and iPad over the last several months.

Another option is Dia from The Browser Company, which is the successor to Arc. Opera Neon bills itself as an experimental AI browser (with a monthly subscription).

More recently, Aside for macOS has surfaced as a newcomer in the AI browser space for Mac. For ChatGPT Atlas users looking for a light alternative to Chrome or Comet, Aside looks like a great option to test.

Another option? Just using Safari and relying on ChatGPT Codex or a similar system for completing AI-powered tasks on the web. That’s my current strategy, even before ChatGPT Atlas received an end date.

Still, I think having an AI-focused browser in the toolkit is a good idea, at least to test and see what the current state-of-the-art tech can do for you.