On Agentic Browsers

If you’re reading this, I probably sent this to you. Stay safe on the internet, my friend! Atlas and Comet are OpenAI and Perplexity’s “AI browsers”. They integrate agents like ChatGPT with your browser, which allows them to view websites you visit and help you chat, navigate or perform actions on it using natural language. Atlas or Comet isn’t your agent on the internet. You are their agent to the internet. Big tech companies like Meta and Google know a ton about you, your preferences and your relationships - which they use to manipulate you sell you things. Across Whatsapp, Maps, Instagram, GMail, Photos, Calendar and so on, they know the people you talk to, places you go to, your current mood, your schedule. Data on people like you and me are together valuable because it can be used to fundamentally change how we think, how we respond, what we buy, what we think of someone, what we plan to do next - and every single decision we make. What is this data worth though? Millions of…