Opera Introduces Browser Operator: A Groundbreaking AI Agent for Web Browsing

Opera sets the stage for an agentic AI browser race

ChatGPT or DeepSeek: Which AI platform creates the most realistic images Summary Opera's new Browser Operator AI executes complex commands, enhancing the overall user experience. Privacy-conscious, on-device processing to avoid cloud data pitfalls. Google's Gemini upgrades may overshadow similar browser-level AI integration, leaving users with just OpenAI's Operator in Chrome. AI is evidently all-pervading, and Gemini has taken over Assistant duties on Android recently. We're also witnessing a shift from chatbot-style interactions to master-servant-style conversations and agentic interactions where AI executes complex chains of commands at your bidding. OpenAI's solution is called Operator, and it is available to a select audience, but Gemma may not even get stage time at Google's annual developer conference this year. Meanwhile, Opera browser has beaten the Search giant to the punch with a new addition. Related 5 exciting reveals we expect to see at Google I/O 2025 Android 16 could take center stage Posts Opera is one of the most popular browser apps on Android, and the Norwegian brand just pulled the wraps off a new AI agent baked into the browser, named Browser Operator. Not to be conflated with OpenAI's agent also named Operator, Opera's creation is touted as a "paradigm shift" in user experience since it can execute complex chains of commands when instructed in natural language. For instance, you can ask the Browser Operator to order 10 pairs of white tennis socks from Nike in size 12, and sit back while the task is handled for you automatically. While the task is underway, you'll see a progress indicator of which step is in progress. This way, the user can cancel or intervene at any time. Only a tech preview for now Privacy still matters Interestingly, Opera claims Browser Operator uses on-device processing to avoid typical privacy loopholes associated with cloud data processing and reliance on screenshots or screen recording to execute actions. While the efficacy of these methods remains questionable, Opera is currently offering Browser Operator as a limited tech preview, with a commitment to an open-ended release timeline. Meanwhile, Operator from ChatGPT creators OpenAI is already out in the open, available to Pro subscribers spending $200 a month for that, and other cool AI features. We believe Google's implementation is most likely to find its way into a browser like Chrome given how eagerly the company integrated Circle to Search in Chrome, but when that might be is anyone's guess, since the focus seems to be on Gemini upgrades for now.

Opera unveils impressive preview of AI agentic browsing - see it in action

If you've been waiting for a better conjunction of web browser and AI, the wait is almost over, thanks to Opera. The team behind the Opera web browser has announced a new AI agent called Browser Operator, capable of performing browsing tasks for users. This new agentic browsing marks a paradigm shift that could mark the next evolution of web browsers. Also: Which AI agent is the best? This new leaderboard can tell you According to Krystian Kolondra, EVP at Opera, "For more than 30 years, the browser gave you access to the web, but it has never been able to get stuff done for you. Now it can. This is different from anything we've seen or shipped so far." Kolondra continues, "The Browser Operator we're presenting today marks the first step toward shifting the role of the browser from a display engine to an application that is agentic and performs tasks for its users." Key features of AI agents include: The Browser Operator is designed to boost the user's efficiency. It accomplishes this by allowing the user to explain what they need to do in natural language, and the browser will then perform the necessary tasks. Also: Crawl, then walk, before you run with AI agents, experts recommend For example, you could ask Browser Operator to buy you a pair of pink running shoes from Nike in a size 8.5. The Browser Operator will then perform the task. As Browser Operator performs the task, the user can see what's happening at any point in the process, so they are in control the whole time. Essentially, Opera is turning the browser into more of a user-focused ecosystem that uses native client-side solutions to complete tasks while protecting user privacy. Also: How businesses are accelerating time to agentic AI value The Browser Operator runs natively inside the browser and uses the DOM Tree and browser layout data to get context. According to Opera, that makes the solution faster because the browser doesn't need to "see" and understand what's on the screen from its pixels or navigate with a mouse pointer. Browser Operator can access an entire page at once, without the need to scroll, which means it reduces overhead and time required. And because it all happens natively within the browser, the Browser Operator doesn't require a virtual machine or cloud server. Browser Operator is currently in feature preview status and should become available soon as part of the Opera Feature Drop program. I checked my up-to-date version of Opera Developer, and it has yet to hit, but I'll keep my eyes open and write up a how-to as soon as it's available. You can watch Browser Operator in action on the official Opera YouTube channel. Expect Browser Operator to appear in a Feature Drop in the near future.

Opera is now the first major web browser with AI-based agentic browsing

If you've been waiting for a better conjunction of web browser and AI, the wait is almost over, thanks to Opera. The team behind the Opera web browser has announced a new AI agent called Browser Operator, capable of performing browsing tasks for users. This new agentic browsing marks a paradigm shift that could mark the next evolution of web browsers. Also: Which AI agent is the best? This new leaderboard can tell you According to Krystian Kolondra, EVP at Opera, "For more than 30 years, the browser gave you access to the web, but it has never been able to get stuff done for you. Now it can. This is different from anything we've seen or shipped so far." Kolondra continues, "The Browser Operator we're presenting today marks the first step toward shifting the role of the browser from a display engine to an application that is agentic and performs tasks for its users." Key features of AI agentics include: Via the AI agentics, the Browser Operator is designed to give the user a major efficiency boost. This is accomplished by allowing the user to explain what they need to do in natural language, and the browser will then perform the necessary tasks. Also: Crawl, then walk, before you run with AI agents, experts recommend For example, you could ask Browser Operator to buy you a pair of pink running shoes from Nike in a size 8.5. The Browser Operator will then perform the task. As Browser Operator performs the task, the user can see what's happening at any point in the process, so they are in control the whole time. Essentially, Opera is turning the browser into more of a user-focused ecosystem that uses native client-side solutions to complete tasks while protecting user privacy. Also: How businesses are accelerating time to agentic AI value The Browser Operator runs natively inside the browser and uses the DOM Tree and browser layout data to get context. According to Opera, that makes the solution faster because the browser doesn't need to "see" and understand what's on the screen from its pixels or navigate with a mouse pointer. Browser Operator can access an entire page at once, without the need to scroll, which means it reduces overhead and time required. And because it all happens natively within the browser, the Browser Operator doesn't require a virtual machine or cloud server. Browser Operator is currently in feature preview status and should become available soon as part of the Opera Feature Drop program. I checked my up-to-date version of Opera Developer, and it has yet to hit, but I'll keep my eyes open and write up a how-to as soon as it's available. You can watch Browser Operator in action on the official Opera YouTube channel. Expect Browser Operator to appear in a Feature Drop in the near future.

Move over, OpenAI -- Opera's AI Browser Operator takes agentic AI to the next level

EXCLUSIVE: Opera's AI Browser Operator is here, and it makes OpenAI look slow Let's be honest. The likes of OpenAI Operator and the Rabbit R1's LAM Playground are fascinating glimpses into the future of agentic AI web browsing. But their precision is like a drunk guy trying to throw a dart -- technically aimed, but who knows where it'll land. On top of that, they're based on virtual machines that could raise security concerns, and it makes them very slow. Well, I can exclusively reveal that Opera has an answer to this with Browser Operator. Simply put, instead of having to run the browsing session virtually in its own desktop space, this operator can just take control for you directly in the browser -- the world's first agentic AI in a web browser just arrived at MWC 2025. Browser Operator forms a part of the Aria AI overlay you're probably already familiar with in Opera One R2 and Opera Air. Just flip over to the Operator, enter your prompt and watch it get to work. For example, you can see the Operator jump in and buy a pack of 10 pairs of Nike tennis socks in a size 12 -- freeing up time for you to go get other things done. You can watch the Browser Operator go through each interaction step-by-step, and give you transparency of all its thinking and doing. Of course, you can give it more detailed and natural prompts too -- giving it multiple steps and considerations to make in its decision process. You can see this happening in the request to buy Newcastle Premier League soccer tickets, as the Operator keeps the price in mind, the location of seating and availability of tickets. Plus, given the fact it's all happening within the browser, this agentic navigation is a cinch to interrupt and get involved in yourself too. I can say with some experience that Opera's rivals will give you an interaction every 8-10 seconds -- analyzing a screenshot for interactive elements, feeding that data into the LLM and taking action. With Browser Operator, you're looking at that speed being cut nearly in half. Based on looking at how the company fast-forwards the footage every now and again to x4 and x10, and timing each step being clearly shown in the AI chatbot window, it's looking like you could get an action every 4-6 seconds on average. Given the complexities of the tasks being thrown at it in these examples, that's crazy good! However, you could entertain going even faster by working in tandem with the Browser Operator. Maybe instead of starting afresh from your home page, you opt to interact directly and navigate to the website, and then activate the Operator. Thanks to all of this happening in the browser in front of you, that eliminates any need for a virtual machine that is usually quite a slouch to interact with. Opera's AI agency here is more to be something that works with you rather than completely replacing you. So far, agentic AI has felt like something that's a fun side project that you can play around with -- smile at it taking its first steps into the world like a toddler, but realize it's going to take a while for it to make sense. Putting it directly into a browser like Opera doesn't just make it faster, more secure and easier to work with alongside, it makes agentic make sense. This is a true transformative moment for web browsers in general, and the Norwegian browser company knows this. "For more than 30 years, the browser gave you access to the web, but it has never been able to get stuff done for you. Now it can. This is different from anything we've seen or shipped so far," Krystian Kolondra, Opera's EVP, commented. "The Browser Operator we're presenting today marks the first step towards shifting the role of the browser from a display engine to an application that is agentic and performs tasks for its users." Browser Operator is currently available as a preview, but expect it to appear as part of an AI feature drop in the near future.

Opera's AI 'Browser Operator' Will Complete Tasks for You

You'll soon be able to contract out some of the duller tasks on your to-do list with the help of the Opera browser. We're now starting to see some rudimentary AI agents appear: tools that can not only write code and solve math problems, but also perform actions on your behalf. And Opera has announced the first AI agent for its browser, the aptly named Browser Operator. The idea is that Browser Operator can take care of some tedious online tasks for you, saving you time and clicks. It could arrange your next grocery order, for example, or check out hotel prices in a place you're thinking of visiting. "For more than 30 years, the browser gave you access to the web, but it has never been able to get stuff done for you," says Opera's Krystian Kolondra. "Now it can." Right now the feature is in what's being labeled as a "preview" release. Opera states that none of your personal or sensitive data is sent back to the web while the AI agent is working, and says users remain in full control of the process while it's happening -- you wouldn't want an order full of the wrong groceries, after all. As is the norm with the latest wave of modern AI tools, you talk to Browser Operator using natural language: "I want to get plane tickets from New York to San Francisco at the cheapest time in August," for example. The bot then figures out what the necessary online actions are, and carries them out. If any kind of user action is required, like entering payment information or login details, Browser Operator pauses so you can take over. You can also pause the tool manually whenever you like, just in case it's booking you a hotel in the wrong city or ordering clothes that aren't your style. The feature is coming soon The Browser Operator feature doesn't seem to be live at the time of writing, but when it's available, you'll be able to launch it from the browser's Command Line interface or via the sidebar (where Aria, Opera's integrated AI, can also be found). Opera says the feature will roll out "in the near future" as part of an AI-related feature drop. The idea seems like an appealing one, in principle: Online tasks like shopping around for the best prices on gadgets or booking hotel rooms for a vacation can be tedious and take up a lot of time. If an AI bot was able to do all of the grunt work with human supervision, that would be genuinely useful. That said, it all has to work. These tasks might be time-consuming and dull, but they're jobs that also need to be done right. If Browser Operator can't follow instructions properly or keeps on making mistakes, then Opera users are going to go back to relying on their own clicking and scrolling. As I'm not able to access the feature yet, I'm relying on Opera's demo video for ideas about what it can do. The interface looks to be straightforward and intuitive, sitting to the side of the browser or just above the webpages the AI agent is working on. The example of booking tickets for a soccer match seems the most useful: You can tell the AI when you want to go, where you want to sit, how much you want to pay, and which ticket types to look for. Assuming Browser Operator understands what you mean and can navigate the necessary websites well enough, that's a lot of time saved. This new AI agent inside Opera also explains what it's doing as it goes, so you can see what it's trying to do and how successfully it's managing to carry out your instructions. It looks as though you're going to be able to jump in and interfere if Browser Operator is about to do something it shouldn't. Opera isn't the only company working on agentic AI. Last month ChatGPT introduced its own Operator tool, which can carry out tasks on the web: Like Opera Browser Operator, it's in preview' at the moment, and it's also only available to users paying for the $200-a-month Pro plan.

Opera's Operator will save you the clicks and browse the web for you

Mobile World Congress Read our complete coverage of Mobile World Congress Updated less than 37 seconds ago Opera web browser is entering the agentic era of AI tools. At MWC 2025, the company previewed a new feature called Browser Operator that can turn sentences into actionable commands for web surfing, instead of having users click through different pages and buttons. All you need to do is write a query in natural language and the AI tool will handle the rest. For example, you can tell the Operator to book three concert tickets on a booking site. The AI browsing agent will select the right boxes, book the tickets, and land you on the final step where you just need to make the payment. Recommended Videos As the browsing agent kicks into action, users will be able to see the step-by-step breakdown of clicks and searches it performs, somewhat like an AI reasoning model. It can also handle multi-step queries, and remembers the context from previous conversations. How does Operator work? It's not a fully autonomous browsing experience. Opera says it will stop at the steps where users might have to intervene, such as filling sensitive information like phone number or car details. At the heart of it all is the AI Composer Engine, which breaks down user queries into browsing instructions. The best part about the Browser Operator is that it runs privately instead of a cloud environment, which means your data remains safe. "Opera's Browser Operator runs natively inside your browser, on your device," says the company. That means information such as cookies or browsing history never leaves your device. Meet Opera's Browser Operator - An AI that can do tasks for you on the web Moreover, instead of looking at a web page as a picture or screenshot, it focuses on its textual representation. That means the AI engine doesn't have to scroll through the whole webpage, speeding up the whole agentic process as a result. Since it can interact with UI elements that are otherwise invisible to users, pop-up boxes and verification prompts don't pose a hurdle. In case any intermediate steps need action, the Operator will ask for users to briefly take over. Opera is calling it a "human-in-the-loop" approach. For such situations, users can either do the needful on the webpage, or just type the necessary details in the Operator chatbox. At no stage, does the Operator save any information, as that is strictly for the web page to process and handle. Opera's Browser Operator is currently in the preview phase and will be released as part of a feature drop in the "near future." This won't be the first agentic AI product of its kind, however. OpenAI has also developed its own version of an autonomous tool called Operator, while Gemini Deep Research is another example of a web-based agentic AI product.

Opera browser unveils AI agent that handles online tasks for you

Opera said the feature heralds a "new paradigm" in the history of browsing Opera has previewed a new AI agent feature that promises to complete online tasks on your behalf, based on simple, written prompts. Want to book a flight but don't want to spend ages comparing prices? Tell the bot your preferred flight times, seats, and budget and it'll get to work in the background, letting you carry on with whatever it was you were doing. Once it's done, it'll add the item to your cart and you can proceed to pay. Unlike existing tools like Google AI assistant or ChatGPT, which help you find information by summarising search results, answering questions, and suggesting links, Opera's AI agent does the browsing for you. Opera claims the tool -- dubbed Browser Operator -- signals a "new paradigm" in the history of browsing. "For more than 30 years, the browser gave you access to the web, but it has never been able to get stuff done for you. Now it can," said Opera's executive vice president Krystian Kolondra. "This is different from anything we've seen or shipped so far." Browser Operator isn't just for shopping, though. It can search the web for whatever you need, potentially saving you time on menial tasks. Importantly, the tool comes with some built-in safeguards. You see what it's doing at every step in the process and can easily pause or cancel any task. Opera claims the AI agent is the first agentic browsing feature launched by any major browser. However, major AI firms are working on their versions of similar systems. Last year, Anthropic launched a "computer use" feature that allows its Claude chatbot to take over your computer and browse on your behalf. OpenAI unveiled a similar feature -- "Operator" -- in January. Both of those tools, however, are virtual machines that operate in the cloud. Simply put, this means they're slow. In contrast, Opera's tool operates locally, directly on your browser, making it potentially much faster -- and more secure. Unlike Claude or Operator, Opera's agent doesn't take screenshots or capture videos of your screen. By processing tasks locally, it ensures user data remains on the device, which the company said enhances privacy.

Opera's Agentic AI Browser Will Do Your Shopping for You

Samantha Kelly is a freelance writer with a focus on consumer technology, AI, social media, Big Tech, emerging trends and how they impact our everyday lives. Her work has been featured on CNN, NBC, NPR, the BBC, Mashable and more. It's not just search engines and chatbots getting AI makeovers these days. Web browsers want in on the revolution. Opera, the company behind the web browser, unveiled a new update, Browser Operator, at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Monday that automates tasks for users. In what's believed to be the first agentic AI web browser, the company said in a tweet it is "previewing a browser AI agent that gets shit done for you." "Browser Operator takes AI out of the chatbot and integrates it directly into the browsing flow," the company said in a blog post. "This aligns with the broader role of the browser: it's there to make you more powerful while you're online, browsing the web, and to give you the tools to use your time more effectively." With Browser Operator, users can explain what they need it to do in natural language. For example, they can ask it to buy a 10-pack of size 12 white tennis socks from Nike, and it will handle the transaction. It's part of a greater effort among tech companies to push forward with agentic AI, a buzzy term that refers to AI systems capable of autonomously executing complicated and multi-step tasks. Opera said its AI agent differs from other agentic browsing experiments because it uses native solutions and eliminates the need for screenshots or video capture of browsing sessions. The company said the approach prioritizes privacy by keeping user data stored locally on the device. The browser is available as a preview release but will launch soon as part of its AI feature drop program. While this may be a first for browsers, companies continue to roll out agentic AI. Announced in early February and expanded to more users last week, OpenAI's Deep Research tool is an AI agent that leverages reasoning-based capabilities to analyze vast amounts of information and tackle complex tasks. The company said it can accomplish in minutes what would take a human several hours. Meanwhile, Microsoft last week introduced Magma, a new artificial intelligence model designed to help robots understand and act more intelligently. Unlike traditional AI models, Magma processes different types of data simultaneously, an effort Microsoft called a major leap toward agentic AI, where robots can plan and execute tasks on a user's behalf. Reece Hayden, an analyst at tech intelligence firm ABI Research, said agentic AI is widely viewed as the next step in generative AI, particularly as search engines like Google start to integrate large-language models into their processes. But he sees the integration of agentic AI browsers like Opera as a factor that will revolutionize the user experience and drive traction in the long run. "This will be seen as a major innovation for browsers as consumers will be able to book holidays autonomously or perform other use cases," Hayden said. "Another reason this is significant is that it offers smartphones new use cases that justify on-device AI, which may support shipment growth." Although Hayden said he expects more search engines and browsers to test similar options, "enormous risks" around data privacy, accuracy and control still exist, he noted. "All players need to be careful given the [potential for] reputational damage," he said.

This Browser Will Soon Feature an AI Agent That Can Accomplish Tasks for You

I'm Finally Leaving Google Chrome, and These Are the 4 Reasons Why We all need to browse the web to take care of everyday, mundane tasks. But the popular Opera browser will soon be able to do that heavy lifting with AI agent technology. Browser Operator Completes Different Tasks on the Web Opera has just announced Browser Operator that runs inside the browser. AI agents provide a new level of technology. Instead of a chatbot that can answer your questions, an agent can accomplish different tasks that you ask. In the video, Opera showed how the agent can accomplish a number of tasks. Some of those included finding the right type of socks from Walmart and finding a specific ticket type for a soccer game. You'll be able to see exactly what the Browser Operator is doing during all steps. You can also take control anytime you want. Because the agent works natively on your browser, Opera says it better protects privacy than other AI agents available. The Browser Operator is available as a preview. Opera says it will launch more widely as part of an AI Feature Drop program in "the near future." Interestingly, the video only showed the agent working on specific sites. AI Agents Are Making Daily Tasks Easier While there is a lot we don't know about Opera's Browser Operator, it looks to be a great, free way to use AI agent technology on the web. Opera is far from the only company with AI agent technology. Earlier this year, OpenAI unveiled its ChatGPT Operator that can interact with multiple sites to accomplish different tasks. But currently, the feature is only available to ChatGPT Pro subscribers willing to shell out a $200 monthly subscription. Perplexity Assistant is a great option to try if you're looking to see how AI agent technology can work for you without having to spend anything. It offers a number of great features, like task management and smart home integration.

Opera announces a new agentic feature for its browser | TechCrunch

Norway-based browser company Opera announced a new agent feature called Browser Operator as a feature preview. The Browser Operator feature, when released, will complete tasks for you on different websites, the company claims. In a demo video, the company showed the agent finding a right pair of socks from Walmart, tickets for a football match from the club's site, and a flight and a hotel for a trip from Booking.com. It's not clear if the agent works on a single site as a context or if it can address wider queries like "Find me the cheapest ticket from London to New York for tomorrow" and look across sites. The company already had AI features that let users ask questions about a website. Having a feature use the webpage context is the step towards automating some of the tasks. Opera said that the feature will be available to users through its feature drop program soon. The company said that the Browser Operator lets users see what it is up to and take control of the screen at any point in time. Opera noted that because the agent works natively without relying on a cloud instance of a browser or a virtual machine, it preserves user privacy better. "For more than 30 years, the browser gave you access to the web, but it has never been able to get stuff done for you. Now it can. This is different from anything we've seen or shipped so far. The Browser Operator we're presenting today marks the first step towards shifting the role of the browser from a display engine to an application that is agentic and performs tasks for its users," said Krystian Kolondra, EVP at Opera, said in a statement. The promise of the feature is the same as other agents that we have seen. You describe the task to the agent, it will browse around the website and trying to go through different pages to finish the task, and you will have free time to do whatever you want to do between these tasks. However, we don't know how much Opera's feature will be effective when it is released to all users. It might even fail in tasks the company shows in its videos in different environments and sites. However, Opera realizes that it is important to begin working on such features as AI companies are relying heavily on browsers for agents to carry out tasks. OpenAI has released its own solution called Operator, which uses a browser, to ChatGPT Pro users this year. The Browser Company, which makes Arc Browser, teased a new browser called Dia with agentic capabilities. Perplexity is preparing to launch its own browser called Comet. With an early preview, Opera also wants to put itself in the AI agents race.

Opera adds an automated AI agent to its browser

Too shiftless to even click on a few things while online shopping, hm? Just ask this built-in assistant The Opera web browser now boasts "agentic AI," meaning users can ask an onboard AI model to perform tasks that require a series of in-browser actions. It's basically delegating one's web browsing to a personal assistant who's not particularly competent but can manage some things. Fun as a technology demonstration perhaps, but c'mon. The AI agent, referred to as the Browser Operator, can, for example, find 12 pairs of men's size 10 Nike socks that you can buy. This is demonstrated in an Opera-made video of the process, running intermittently at 6x time, which shows the user has to type out the request for the undergarments rather than click around some webpages. The AI, in the given example, works its way through eight steps in its browser chat sidebar, clicking and navigating on your behalf in the web display pane, to arrive at a Walmart checkout page with two six-packs of socks added to the user's shopping cart, ready for payment. You could do so, too, in 15 seconds or so by visiting Walmart's online store and clicking a few times. But then your AI agent would be out of job, ironically enough. Other tasks such as finding specific concert tickets and booking flight tickets from Oslo to Newcastle are also depicted, accelerated at times from 4x to 10x, with the user left to authorize the actual purchase. Browser Operator runs more slowly than shown in the video, though that's actually helpful for a semi-capable assistant. A more casual pace allows the user to intervene at any point and take over. "For more than 30 years, the browser gave you access to the web, but it has never been able to get stuff done for you," Krystian Kolondra, EVP of Opera Software, argued in a statement somewhat overlooking the billions of CPU cycles needed to parse a modern HTML page with CSS and JavaScript. "Now it can. This is different from anything we've seen or shipped so far. The Browser Operator we're presenting today marks the first step towards shifting the role of the browser from a display engine to an application that is agentic and performs tasks for its users." The phrase "now it can" actually means "now it can for some" - the Browser Operator is a preview feature that some users may have access to but isn't yet generally available. The latest macOS builds for Opera and Opera Developer did not yet support Browser Operator when we hunted around the Settings and Flags menus to enable it. According to the biz, Browser Operator will debut via the firm's AI feature drop program in the near future. Browser Operator runs locally, according to Opera. "It protects user privacy by not relying on screenshots or video capture of the browsing session, nor on a version of the browser running in the cloud or a virtual machine," the developer claims. Its Aria settings page includes this warning: "AI Services should not be employed for any legal, medical, or advisory purposes. We advise you to apply caution and check facts." Perhaps surprisingly, the Wall Street Journal in January reported that some companies are actually using AI agents. Gartner last week forecast that within a few years AI agents will play a significant role in business operations. "By 2028, Gartner predicts that 33 percent of enterprise software applications will include agentic AI, up from less than 1 percent in 2024, with at least 15 percent of day-to-day work decisions being made autonomously through AI agents," the IT consultancy said. Keep in mind that Gartner has been wrong before. In 2014, Gartner research director Peter Sondergaard predicted, "one in three jobs will be converted to software, robots and smart machines by 2025." Only three years later, Gartner said AI will create more jobs than it destroys. ®

Opera's newest AI feature can shop for you, book hotels, and more

Right now, Browser Operator is just a demo... but it's a promising one. On Monday, browser maker Opera published a seriously impressive demo of what it calls "Browser Operator," showing off its upcoming AI-powered browser technology that allows you to assign shopping tasks to Opera, which it then pursues independently. Opera calls this "agentic browsing" and claims that it's a "paradigm shift for browsers." The tech industry likes to overuse that phrase, with almost everything being a paradigm shift in some way, but in this case it might actually be appropriate. Agentic browsing allows you to prompt the browser to research a shopping task for you, using AI, in much the same way you might check a number of shopping sites or ask a travel agent to plan a vacation for you. Opera says the browser does all of this locally, using your PC's resources, rather than sending the information to the cloud. The shopping task is treated like an AI prompt, which you type into a small window at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Crucially, Opera's demo does not show the browser actually completing the transaction. It basically pauses on a screen with the shopping site's own "checkout" browser shown but not clicked. In the video demonstration, Opera's Browser Operator is asked, "Find me 12 pairs of white Nike socks in men's size 10 that I can buy." The browser then executes several steps, similar to the "deep research" AI models that have begun to circulate, which break down the prompted task into a series of steps, which are then executed. Opera also showed off how Browser Operator could work in a series of queries. A second prompt asked Browser Operator to book tickets for Newcastle United's next Premier League game at its home stadium, with preferred seats around midfield but with a total price limit. After the tickets were found and approved, the user asked Opera to research flights and a hotel for those dates as well. Right now, all of this is just a demo. "Opera's Browser Operator is currently available as a preview of the upcoming functionality," the company said. "Opera expects to launch the new Browser Operator as part of its AI feature drop program in the near future." Opera hasn't said if it will charge for the feature. Typically, AI models require several gigabytes worth of downloaded data. And, of course, there's the trust aspect -- even if Browser Operator doesn't complete the transaction, can you be sure you received the best deal? That the AI actually did everything you asked it to do? Users will undoubtedly have to test out Browser Operator themselves. Can Opera pull it off? Demos aren't always to be trusted, but it's a fascinating proof of concept nevertheless.

Opera's new AI agent web browser just reinvented web browsing - here's 5 ways it could completely change the internet

Interest in AI agents that can peruse the internet on your behalf has ticked up of late, partly thanks to OpenAI's Operator, along with Browser Use and the recently released Proxy 1.0. Popular browser provider Opera has joined in to offer a tool that will actively do tasks on the web for you. If this catches on, the way we interact with the internet might never be the same, especially if it's baked right into the browser like Opera's is. The idea for the Operator is that, instead of just answering questions or giving you information like Opera's Aria AI assistant, it can go out onto the web and do things on your behalf. You can tell it to buy concert tickets, book a hotel, track down the best deals on a gadget, or research a topic, and it will navigate sites, fill out forms, and complete tasks for you while keeping you updated. You're still in control, but now you have a digital errand runner handling the tedious stuff. And that could change a lot about how we use the internet. Here are five ways it could shake things up. Online shopping could become radically simpler with Opera's Operator. Right now, finding the perfect item can require having ten tabs full of reviews, price comparisons, and shipping data. With the Browser Operator, you could just say, "Find me the best-rated wireless earbuds under $150 and order them to my address." Instead of doom-scrolling product pages for an hour, you'd get a curated recommendation, approve it, and be done in seconds. Imagine never dealing with sketchy third-party sellers again because your AI assistant already weeded them out for you. The Operator could make planning travel actually fun instead of stressful. A simple weekend trip requires juggling flight options, hotel rates, rental car bookings, and activity reservations, all while praying you don't accidentally book a 10-hour layover. With the Browser Operator, you could say, "Plan a weekend getaway to Chicago with a hotel near downtown and a rental car," and it would handle the legwork, presenting you with an itinerary to approve. No more agonizing over which travel site has the best deals or whether that budget hotel actually has walls. The AI would be able to do the tedious searching; you just decide what sounds good. Managing subscriptions and online accounts could stop being a nightmare using AI. These days, half of our digital lives are spent trying to remember where we signed up for what, why we're still being charged for something we don't use, and how to cancel a subscription before it renews for another year. Normally, you have to dig through emails, track down obscure account settings, and fight a desperate battle with "Are you sure you want to cancel?" pop-ups. With the Browser Operator, you could say, "Find all my active subscriptions and show me what I should cancel." It could even handle the cancellations for you, sparing you from guilt-tripping retention prompts. Suddenly, your bank account isn't a graveyard of forgotten free trials turned full-priced commitments. Even the most mundane online tasks could become hands-free with the Operator's help. Paying bills, managing subscriptions, downloading bank statements are all the little things that chip away at your day. The annoyance of having to remember which day you need to log in, navigate a website, and remember your passwords is just part of life. However, you can set up the Browser Operator to handle routine tasks automatically. Imagine just getting a notification that your phone bill has been paid instead of remembering to do it yourself. That's not just convenience but fewer minor annoyances cluttering your brain. Keeping up with the internet's relentless firehose of content might actually become manageable using the AI Operator. Staying informed today means subscribing to newsletters, following a bunch of blogs, and hoping the algorithm decides to show you nothing but cat videos. But the Browser Operator could act as your own personal news curator. You could tell it, "Keep me updated on the latest breakthroughs in space exploration," and it would regularly collect and summarize the most relevant articles. Instead of wading through an endless news feed, you'd get just what matters to you, neatly packaged. That way, you can stay informed without feeling like the internet's infinite scroll has hijacked your entire day. The internet has always required us to be the operators; clicking, searching, navigating, managing. But with AI tools like this, that might be changing. Opera's Browser Operator takes the first real step toward making the browser an active participant instead of a passive tool. It doesn't just give you a new way to browse; it changes what browsing is. Sure, this could make everything more efficient, but it also raises questions about what happens when we offload so much of our online activity to AI. If the internet can browse itself for us, how much do we really need to engage with it? Will we still know how to search for things manually in a few years, or will that start to feel as outdated as dialing a rotary phone? For now, though, it's hard not to be excited. This is the kind of innovation that makes you wonder how we ever lived without it. If AI can start handling the tedious parts of the internet, maybe we'll finally have time for the things we actually enjoy. Or, more realistically, maybe we'll just use that extra time to doom-scroll even more efficiently. Either way, the future of browsing just got a lot more interesting.