Opera Neon Introduces New Agentic AI Web Browser

What Happened?

Opera Neon is a new premium subscription web browser that can understand instructions through normal human language and carry out those instructions online. The browser can continue to perform tasks for human users even after those users have gone offline, making it an agentic browser, meaning it has agency. 

Henrik Lexow, the Senior AI Product Director at Opera, said ‘We’re at a point where AI can fundamentally change the way we use the internet and perform all sorts of tasks in the browser. Opera Neon brings this to our users’ fingertips.’

Why it Matters

The change from a static web browser to an agentic one is potentially significant for the way humans’ access and interact with the internet. Static browsers can only connect humans to the internet after receiving the typed in or spoken information on a computer or mobile device, but those instructions must be repeated for each task the human wants to accomplish.

With an agentic browser, you could simply tell the AI about multiple tasks you wanted accomplished all at once, and the browser would then carry out those tasks for you, even after you logged off the internet. Agentic browsers can also accomplish more complex tasks, such as filling out forms with accurate information, compiling research and creating spreadsheets, making reservations, designing websites, writing code, and providing updates on developing situations around the world. 

According to Graham Barlow of TechRadar, the AI agent inside Opera Neon was previously showcased by Opera as Browser Operator. You could give it tasks with basic commands such as ‘Keep me updated on the latest breakthroughs in cancer research,’ and the browser would regularly collect and summarize the most relevant articles. 

The Opera Neon agentic browser has three main functions: chat, do, and make. Chat is a function similar to ChatGPT and other similar AI programs, where the AI can converse with human users to answer questions or carry on conversations. Do is a type of function where the browser can accomplish tasks electronically, such as making reservations or filling out online forms.

Make is a more complex function and represents what is genuinely novel about the agentic browser. Neon can create images, videos, documents, or other products for the user simply by being told what the user wants. How well Neon accomplishes these types of activities remains to be seen, but the early reviews have been mostly positive. 

How it Affects You

The way humans use and interact with the internet is changing thanks to the rise of AI. That means the web browsing experience could soon be very different from what most people are used to. Internet usage will likely remain a daily fixture of life for most, but the way people use the internet may shift significantly if AI programs like Neon are successful.