Perplexity AI on Wednesday introduced Comet, its first AI-powered web browser, in a direct bid to loosen Google Chrome’s grip on how users find information online. The desktop application is initially restricted to subscribers of Perplexity’s US$200-a-month Max tier and a limited wait-list. Comet installs the company’s AI search engine as the default and embeds an agent, Comet Assistant, that can summarise emails and calendar entries, manage tabs and perform simple tasks on websites. Hours after the launch, Reuters reported that Microsoft-backed OpenAI is preparing to release its own AI-centric browser within weeks. Sources said the product is built on Google’s open-source Chromium code and will incorporate a ChatGPT-style interface and agent technology such as Operator to keep more user interactions inside the browser. OpenAI declined to comment. The two announcements underline a rapidly escalating contest to redefine the browser as an AI operating environment. Google Chrome is used by more than 3 billion people and accounts for over two-thirds of the global market, providing data that supports a large share of Alphabet’s advertising revenue. Analysts say even partial adoption of the newcomers—Comet by Perplexity’s 780 million-query-a-month user base and an OpenAI offering accessible to ChatGPT’s 500 million weekly users—could pressure Google’s business model and accelerate antitrust scrutiny of the sector.