Opera wants its new AI to change how people use web browsers

During its Opera Browser Days event in Bristol, England, browser company Opera revealed some of its latest AI developments.

According to Joanna Czajka, product director for the Opera Browser, the browser experience users have today will be vastly different in two years. So far, the Opera browser has led this change by being the first browser to integrate ChatGPT, add multi-LLMs AI browser solution, and offer local LLMs on its desktop app. She also teased the upcoming Opera One R2 update , which is due to be released in mid-October.

Image source: Opera

Opera’s first major update to Opera One focuses on multimedia playback, tab management, and innovative design. Thanks to its built-in Aria assistant, Opera One also offers new free AI features. For example, Aria will give a page context, analyze an image, and reply based on what it sees, with more coming soon.

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The new Opera One update will also bring Tab Emojis, which is a more convenient way to interact with your tabs. It also includes a new split-screen mode inside the browser, and music player integration, so you can always have Spotify ready for you.

Opera GX update will be heaven for gamers

Image source: José Adorno for BGR

Opera GX update will improve gamers’ experience. The company is betting heavily on modes, in addition to popular sites available in the sidebar, such as Twitch and Discord, and the ability to play games while watching YouTube in a floating window.

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With over 8,000 mods, users can mod the public mods by adding live wallpapers, themes, browser sounds, keyboard sounds, and even take advantage of shaders, with a very useful magnifier feature.

Alongside the features coming to Opera One R2, GX users will have other perks like pressing F12 to hide their activity and instantly open Wikipedia. Also, there’s a new Fake History Mode feature to help “distract” trackers with fake search history.

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Privacy features and changes after DMA

Image source: José Adorno for BGR

One of the key features of the Opera browser is the free VPN. More recently, the company revealed that an independent firm reaffirmed that its VPN doesn’t track users’ data . In addition, it follows Europe’s strong GDPR standards globally to ensure its privacy tools and no-log policies are the same for all users.

Jona Bolin, product manager of Opera for iOS, spoke to BGR about the browser’s recent boom after the DMA came into force in Europe. From February to March 2024, it had a 63% increase in monthly users in Europe, with 146% more active users in France. Still, some of the changes available with the DMA feel obscured, and Opera, alongside many browsers, won’t follow.

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Jona Bolin, product manager of Opera for iOS Image source: José Adorno for BGR

With the law, Apple needs to offer developers the ability to introduce their own browser engine. However, most of them have stuck with WebKit. “We have found that creating a third-party browser engine would offer too much risk and could cost a lot. Apple could change the rules very easily, and we wouldn’t have a compatible browser available,“ said Bolin. “Still, we expect new growth with users since iPadOS is also under the DMA .”

For the executive, Opera offers more compelling features to users, like the free VPN, ad block, and a better UI. With iOS 18 , Apple added several new features for its browser , including:

• Highlights: That’s an easier way to discover information on the web, such as directions, summaries, or quick links to learn more about people, music, movies, and TV shows;
• Reader: A redesigned Reader includes even more ways to enjoy articles without distractions, featuring a streamlined view of the article a user is reading, a summary, and a table of contents for longer articles;
• Video detection: When Safari detects a video on the page, Viewer helps users put it front and center while still giving them full access to system playback controls, including Picture in Picture.

BGR will let you know once Opera’s latest features become available to users.

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