Opera update beats Apple's Safari browser with useful ChatGPT AI prompts

News
By Daryl Baxter
published

It's could be over already before the AI Opera has even sung.

Opera web browser on MacBook Pro
(Image credit: Opera)

In a new update, Opera has enabled AI prompts powered by ChatGPT and ChatSonic to be used within its Opera and Opera GX web browsers on your Mac, so you can ask the AI questions, while ChatSonic can generate images for you.

The company has been looking into how AI can benefit its users, thanks to its Browser AI program, which is its way of developing AI features in its browser. These AI prompts mark the first stage of this process, with the second stage, a mysterious 'Browser AI engine', is currently in development.

Enabling these AI prompts is a simple affair - go to 'Easy Setup' in Opera and activate the Early Access option by toggling 'AI Prompts' to On, which will enable AI Prompts in the browser's sidebar. For OperaGX, it's a matter of enabling the 'Early Bird' option in their browser settings to access the AI.

In a few short months, we've seen AI be accessible from a web page to macOS apps, followed by apps you can access on your Apple Watch. A web browser only seems like the next logical step, and it makes sense when you look at the bigger picture.

AI is about to take over web browsers in a big way

The sidebar in Opera has become one of its most innovative features - already you can access TikTok and WhatsApp without switching between apps as you browse, but having the AI here feels like the next step for its web browsers.

Using these AI prompts with Opera GX on a MacBook Pro is already very intuitive. You can ask it to explain certain terms on a web page in a simpler way, or ask ChatSonic to generate a random image if you feel like procrastinating.

I use OperaGX on my Mac, as I enjoy using the design and the features it brings compared to Apple's Safari. It even lets me switch off from time to time, as there are no iCloud bookmarks or history synced up in the browser.

Using AI here works well already, and with its second stage already in development, it makes me wonder if Opera is already working on another web browser that has AI front and center. That could be to recommend websites you didn't consider before and perhaps create web pages from a few queries.

It's an exciting time for web browsers and AI, and already, Opera has fired its water pistol at its competitors with this new update, leading the charge before Safari, Firefox, and others have even considered AI as a feature.

Daryl Baxter
Daryl Baxter
Features Editor

Daryl is iMore's Features Editor, overseeing long-form and in-depth articles and op-eds. Daryl loves using his experience as both a journalist and Apple fan to tell stories about Apple's products and its community, from the apps we use everyday to the products that have been long forgotten in the Cupertino archives.


Previously Software & Downloads Writer at TechRadar, and Deputy Editor at StealthOptional, he's also written a book, 'The Making of Tomb Raider', which tells the story of the beginnings of Lara Croft and the series' early development. He's also written for many other publications including WIRED, MacFormat, Bloody Disgusting, VGC, GamesRadar, Nintendo Life, VRV Blog, The Loop Magazine, SUPER JUMP, Gizmodo, Film Stories, TopTenReviews, Miketendo64 and Daily Star.