OpenAI

SAN FRANCISCO — OpenAI has given its ChatGPT extension for Google Chrome a major upgrade, allowing the artificial intelligence assistant to read across a user's open browser tabs and, in some cases, take control of them to complete tasks such as filling out forms and sending messages.

The update, announced Thursday, brings the "computer use" features OpenAI previously offered in its own web browser, ChatGPT Atlas, to the world's most widely used browser. OpenAI shut down Atlas in August.

"We're bringing the power of computer use to anyone who uses Chrome," OpenAI said in a post on X from its official ChatGPT account.

Reading across tabs

The upgraded extension can now view a user's open Chrome tabs when they tag Chrome in ChatGPT's web or desktop app. That allows ChatGPT to compare information across multiple pages, such as product listings or research articles, and provide more useful answers based on what the user is already looking at.

The ChatGPT sidebar in Chrome now also has access to a user's full ChatGPT history, so people can talk to the assistant and assign tasks without leaving the page they are working on.

OpenAI said using ChatGPT within a Chrome tab has also received a major upgrade, bringing the full ChatGPT experience into the browser.

Taking action with Work mode

The bigger change comes in ChatGPT Work, OpenAI's agent designed for longer, multistep tasks. In Work mode, ChatGPT can control Chrome tabs to send messages, fill out forms, download files and organize and group tabs.

OpenAI's examples include filling out registration forms, adding events to calendars, entering data into business systems and organizing open tabs.

According to OpenAI's browser extension guide, ChatGPT can read or act on websites where users are already signed in, such as Gmail, LinkedIn or Salesforce, as long as the appropriate permissions are in place.

Setup runs through the ChatGPT desktop app, where users can install the extension under computer use settings and then select it in a Work or Codex chat.

Available widely

OpenAI said the updated extension is available for all ChatGPT plans and can be downloaded from the Chrome Web Store, where its listing shows about 7 million users. The extension also works with other browsers built on Google's Chromium technology, including Microsoft Edge, Brave and Opera.

From Atlas to Chrome

The update marks a shift in OpenAI's browser strategy. The company launched ChatGPT Atlas, its own AI-powered web browser, in October 2025, positioning it as a challenger to Chrome.

In March 2026, OpenAI said it would combine Atlas, the ChatGPT desktop app and its Codex coding tool into a single application. In July, the company said it was deprecating Atlas, and the browser stopped working on Aug. 9. OpenAI directed users who wanted help while browsing to its Chrome extension and sidebar instead.

The latest update effectively brings many of Atlas' features to the browser most people already use, rather than asking them to switch.

Competition for the AI browser

AI companies are racing to build assistants that can not only answer questions but also carry out tasks on users' behalf, a concept often called agentic AI. Browsers have become a key battleground because so much work and everyday activity takes place on the web.

Google has integrated its own Gemini AI assistant into Chrome, while other companies have launched AI-focused browsers and extensions.

Privacy and security questions

Giving an AI assistant the ability to read open tabs and act on websites where users are signed in raises privacy and security considerations. Security researchers have warned that AI agents that browse the web can be vulnerable to manipulation, such as hidden instructions on web pages designed to trick them into taking unwanted actions.

Users should review the permissions they grant and monitor tasks the assistant performs, particularly on sensitive accounts such as email and banking.

What's next

OpenAI is expected to continue expanding ChatGPT's ability to act on users' behalf across apps and websites, as it competes with Google and other AI developers to make its assistant a central part of how people work online.