"Last week, OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT Atlas, a web browser that promises to revolutionise how we interact with the internet. The company's CEO, Sam Altman, described it as a "once-a-decade opportunity" to rethink how we browse the web. The promise is compelling: imagine an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant that follows you across every website, remembers your preferences, summarises articles, and handles tedious tasks such as booking flights or ordering groceries on your behalf."
"But beneath the glossy marketing lies a more troubling reality. Atlas is designed to be "agentic", able to autonomously navigate websites and take actions in your logged-in accounts. This introduces security and privacy vulnerabilities that most users are unprepared to manage. While OpenAI touts innovation, it's quietly shifting the burden of safety onto unsuspecting consumers who are being asked to trust an AI with their most sensitive digital decisions."
"Unlike traditional web browsers where you manually navigate the internet, agent mode allows ChatGPT to operate your browser semi-autonomously. For example, when prompted to "find a cocktail bar near you and book a table", it will search, evaluate options, and attempt to make a reservation. The technology works by giving ChatGPT access to your browsing context. It can see every open tab, interact with forms, click buttons and navigate between pages just as you would."
OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT Atlas, a web browser embedding an AI assistant that follows users across websites, remembers preferences, summarises articles, and performs tasks like booking flights or ordering groceries. Atlas includes an agent mode that allows the AI to operate the browser semi-autonomously, interacting with forms, clicking buttons and navigating logged-in accounts. The browser memories feature logs visited sites and activities, enabling contextual awareness. That awareness powers autonomous actions but creates novel security and privacy vulnerabilities, exposing users' sensitive digital decisions and shifting responsibility for safe operation onto consumers.
Read at The Conversation
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