Remember when choosing a web browser means choosing between Chrome or Firefox, or Internet Explorer and Netscape, for a certain age? They were easier times. Today, a new kind of browser with artificial intelligence is trying to get crazy sweating out of chrome.
Opera dropped the Opera Neon today and charged it with “Agent Web Browser.” If that sounds like marketing fluff, consider this: you can literally code your website while you’re busy scrolling through Twitter.
Meet Opera Neon, the Agent Web browser
Opera Neon helps you browse, take action and get things done for you and for you.
Our play to redefine what a browser is.
Only bite will be invited. Sign up now: https://t.co/e2xyinzkyc pic.twitter.com/nmaxejpxgv
– Opera (@opera) May 28, 2025
But opera is not alone. Other companies are also trying to redefine the way people browse the web using AI from new and fundamentally different internet epicenter.
This is a summary of the most promising AI first browsers.
Opera Neon: Payment for AI browsers that actually send codes
Opera Neon was announced in a surprising little fanfare about something that it claims to be the “world’s first AI agent browser,” but it represents Opera’s boldest bet, as it persuaded people to install a browser with Web3 features.
The technical architecture behind the neon three-pillar approach (chat, doo, making) employs sophisticated engineering.
“Make” is about building a fully functional web application.
“When you adopt complex ideas, from quick results to content, to games, to web apps, big ideas deserve more than a quick reply,” Opera said in an official announcement. “Neon AI agents understand, interpret what you want, and make it for you. They will make your ideas come true and even run multiple instances in the cloud at the same time.”
The entire process occurs in a cloud-based virtual machine that continues to run even after the browser is closed. Go back in a few hours to make sure your application is ready for deployment.
“Do” shows opera’s understanding of real-world dissatisfaction.
Task automation is nothing new, but neon implementations want to take things further. The browser maintains what opera calls the “interaction map” of major websites. It’s just a dynamic understanding of how your site actually works, not just a static document object model or DOM structure. For example, if you need to book a flight or find the cheapest movie tickets in town, neon will know everything you need to get the job done from scratch.
“Chat” wants to change the way it interacts with search engines and web browsers.
Instead of focusing on keywords, natural language is the best way to speak to your browser. Start a query for Japanese restaurants in English, switch to Japanese midterm meetings, and Neon maintains context while adjusting cultural references and search parameters. Ask them to summarise the article or explain something they don’t understand. Your browser can interact with you and do what you ask.
Premium only models work on a subscription basis. It’s awful, but it also makes sense when you understand what’s going on behind the scenes. All operations spin real cloud computing resources, consume operations on legitimate services, and chat queries hit enterprise-grade language models.
DIA: Ark’s Killer and Successor
The browser company has become famous for its Tech Space, the ARC browser that is loved by otakus and developers, released in 2022. This week, the company announced that it would bid farewell to ARC and remain full-time.
The heading feature, “Chat with Tabs,” is below technical refinement. DIA employs what is called context-aware tab intelligence to maintain the living representation of the content on each tab, using a combination of contextual analysis, content extraction, and real-time page monitoring.
Therefore, DIA strives to fundamentally simplify the browsing experience for AI.
You can take tabs on “Memos on Virginia,” “Federal Papers” tabs, and then tabs with my papers, and interact with sources at the same time. After the DIA gives the output, I can ask a follow-up question to understand. browser. “Can you paste these into AI? Yes, but you’ll need to keep switching between tabs.”
With DIA, each tab runs a lightweight AI agent that maintains a semantic understanding of the page content. These agents communicate through a central orchestrator that manages the context and prevents memory bloating that has killed many ambitious browser projects.
The Natural Language command system goes beyond simple voice commands. Users can issue complex, multi-step instructions and DIA understands. For example, emailing a model with a summary of the five most important dates of a business plan on a URL will prompt the model to analyze the site, understand that information, identify if the user needs it, and perform the final task of creating and sending an email.
You can subscribe to the DIA wait list: https://www.diabrowser.com/
Surf: “Alpha” still finds himself
Deta’s surf browser, currently in Alpha, promises to organize your digital life in an AI-powered “context” (basically a steroid folder).
Browsers employ machine learning algorithms to analyze browsing patterns and automatically propose context folders to organize content. When studying complex themes, when bounces between an Arxiv paper and a YouTube explanator, Surf proposes to recognize the connections of themes and group them into a dedicated context.
Ideally, without doing much on your side, Surf can sort dozens of tabs into meaningful groups and solve the problem of losing track of important URLs after opening dozens of links.
Under the hood, the surf integrates several compelling features. The OCR function of PDF can analyze complex academic papers, extract important concepts, and even propose relevant contexts based on content. Built-in chatbots can go beyond simple web page operations to synthesize information across multiple tabs within the context (beyond the capabilities of typical AI chatbots and agents), answer questions about aggregate content and generate summaries that draw from the various sources they collect.
You can download and try surfing here: https://deta.surf/
Comet: Perplexity’s Moonshot
Perplexity AI’s Comet Browser is all about “agent search.” This is essentially using AI to make the browser work as an assistant instead of an information aggregator.
Breaking🚨: Prplexity has begun unfolding the comet to the agent’s web browser – early testers.
Vibe browsing is almost here. https://t.co/ahx9hs9er6 pic.twitter.com/umfarun6yx
– TestingCatalog News (@testingCatalog) May 20, 2025
The browser hasn’t been released yet, but confusion has been promoting its generative AI-powered features for several months. Instead of simply forwarding queries to search engines, Comet employs a multi-stage inference pipeline. When asked about complex questions like “What is the regulatory implications of EU AI laws for American startups?”, the browser does not just search, but also breaks down queries, identifying the required knowledge domain, searches multiple sources in parallel, synthesizes the findings, and presents citations and consistent answers.
Also, the browser should be able to understand temporary references, satisfy contexts, and document relationships. Basically, we aim to be something Google itself struggles to provide.
Browsing history integration raises obvious privacy concerns, especially in Prplexity’s infidelity with personalized ads. Comet maintains a local knowledge graph of viewing patterns, allowing you to understand your expertise level and interests. When you ask about machine learning, you will adjust your IT response based on whether you are reading a beginner’s tutorial or jumping into a paper on transformer architecture. The system handles everything locally using efficient vector embeddings, addressing privacy concerns while still being responsive.
You can join the wait list here: https://www.perplexity.ai/comet
Legacy Rules: Chrome is still king
These AI startups are publishing it for table scraps, but Chrome is sitting neatly with a 66% market share, throwing features like Gemini Integration to show that they are paying attention. Microsoft Edge Incorporated Copilot, Safari’s Doing … Safari Things, and Firefox continue to exist (congratulate the open source heart).
A harsh reality? According to recent data, these new AI browsers will not even sign up for the 2025 market share report. A statistical rounding error in Chrome’s Empire without actually threatening your business model.
But there is a reason for cautious optimism. Each browser targets ARC (RIP) for power users, opera neon for automation enthusiasts, surfing for digital organizers, comets for researchers, DIA for simplicity and more.
Edited by Andrew Hayward
