If you run a small business or juggle content creation alongside raising a family, the promise of AI browsers like Comet or Atlas can sound like a lifeline. Imagine a browser that doesn’t just show a web page but actively reads it, summarises it and even fills out forms or makes purchases for you. After seeing influencers rave about their time‑saving potential, I took a deep breath, poured myself a cup of tea, and decided to dive into what’s behind the marketing promises. In this article you’ll learn what makes AI browsers different, how they might help (or hinder) your workflow and why privacy and security deserve your full attention. I’ll draw on research from reputable sources and my own perspective as a digital strategist working with entrepreneurs to help you decide whether the hype is justified.
What exactly is an AI browser?
Traditional browsers such as Chrome, Safari and Firefox act as neutral windows onto the internet. They load pages, render text and images, and leave interpretation up to you. An AI browser goes further: it embeds large language models to understand content, generate answers and sometimes automate tasks. According to Gabb’s explainer on the difference between internet and AI browsers, these new tools can summarise long articles, answer questions inside your browsing session and even complete multi‑step workflows like shopping or booking travel. The search experience also changes: instead of a list of links you may receive an instant synthesized answer. For busy entrepreneurs and creators, that sounds like a game‑changer, but it comes with trade‑offs that require careful thought.
An in‑depth comparison by c’t magazine (issue 22/2025) underscores this opportunity and risk. The editors tested seven browsers with AI helpers and concluded that built‑in chatbots can simplify everyday browsing and even automate complete workflows, yet the technology remains error‑prone and data protection must stay top‑of‑mind.
Meet Comet: a browser with AI built in
Cybernews’ hands‑on review of Comet describes it as an AI‑powered browser built on Chromium. Comet integrates Perplexity’s chat assistant into a familiar Chrome‑like interface. It’s free for anyone with a Perplexity account and supports Chrome extensions. What sets Comet apart is its ability to act on pages: the assistant can summarise content, fill out forms and even add items to your shopping basket. In one test, reviewers asked Comet to find cat food with the highest meat content and watched as it navigated a store, selected products and added them to a cart. Another standout feature is page summarisation; clicking an icon prompts the assistant to generate a short summary without leaving the page. For entrepreneurs researching market trends or comparing suppliers, this can quickly surface key information. Comet also includes a built‑in ad and tracker blocker and supports cross‑tab references via @tab commands, though this feature still feels inconsistent.
Comet promises to remember context, letting you pin results and recall snippets across sessions. In practice, memory recall can be hit‑or‑miss. During testing, the assistant failed to remember a previously added item until the user specified the shop. Automation is also limited: while it can handle simple tasks like filling forms or adding products to a basket, complex multi‑site workflows often require manual intervention. These limitations mean you still need to supervise the AI, especially when real money or client data is involved.
In the c’t tests, Comet stood out for its deep integration with Perplexity’s answer engine. The free version includes an ad and tracker blocker and can export summaries to standard formats, but daily AI queries and uploads are capped. A paid tier unlocks more powerful models and cross‑app connectors. Reviewers praised Comet’s chatbot and agentic features, yet found the interface confusing because so many functions hide behind menus.
On the plus side, Comet’s integration with Perplexity’s answer engine includes citations. When you ask a question, the browser can surface answers with sources, making it suitable for quick research. You can also import your Chrome bookmarks and extensions, which lowers the learning curve. For a free tool, that’s impressive – but there are caveats.
Where Comet shines for entrepreneurs and creators
If you spend hours gathering research, writing briefs or scheduling meetings, AI browsers like Comet or Atlas offer tempting productivity boosts. Here are a few areas where Comet can make a real difference:
- Quick research with citations. You can highlight a page, click “Summarise,” and instantly view key points with linked sources. This speeds up market analysis and content creation without sacrificing credibility.
- Form filling and basic automation. Comet can handle simple tasks like adding products to a cart, booking a meeting slot or filling out contact forms. During tests, it successfully located and added cat food to a shopping basket.
- Contextual assistance across tabs. The assistant keeps track of your queries across open tabs, which is helpful when comparing several supplier websites or competitor products.
- Voice commands and a familiar interface. Because it’s built on Chromium, Comet supports Chrome extensions and feels like the browser you already know.
For small teams without dedicated research staff, these features can save time and reduce the mental load of switching between tabs and tools. However, they’re not a magic wand. Complex requests still require carefully crafted prompts, and human oversight remains essential.
Comet’s downsides and risks
No technology is perfect, and AI browsers are particularly rough around the edges. Comet reviewers noted performance hiccups and a significant learning curve. Memory features often fail silently. More importantly, there are privacy and security concerns that entrepreneurs can’t ignore. The browser operates in different privacy modes (Standard, Strict and Local), but independent testers warn it’s difficult to verify how effectively Comet isolates data. When you ask a “personal search,” the assistant may send information about your open tabs and browsing history to Perplexity’s servers. While your credentials and payment information remain stored locally, any AI that sees your private browsing data can potentially misinterpret or expose it.
The bigger threat comes from so‑called prompt injection attacks. As Brave’s security research demonstrated, attackers can hide malicious instructions in a web page. When Comet summarises that page, the AI may process the hidden commands and execute actions like navigating to your email or exfiltrating data. Another vulnerability known as CometJacking allowed a single malicious link to access the browser’s memory and connected services. These attacks exploit the fact that AI agents act with your credentials, blurring the line between user intent and untrusted content. Until these risks are solved, compliance experts advise blocking or isolating AI browsers and disabling agent and memory features in corporate environments.
Even if you’re a solo entrepreneur, you should treat AI browsers as experimental tools. Avoid using them on pages containing sensitive client data, financial accounts or health information. Stick to public research and non‑critical tasks, and regularly clear or disable the browser’s memory.
Atlas: OpenAI’s vision for a conversational browser
OpenAI calls Atlas a browser with ChatGPT baked into every tab. Like Comet, it summarises pages and answers questions directly on the page. It goes further by offering in‑line writing assistance — you can ask Atlas to draft polite emails or refine form entries within the browser. The optional Memories feature lets it remember preferences across sessions, and an early Agent mode can perform actions on websites, such as extracting product data or clicking buttons. In hands‑on tests, Atlas excelled at summarising long articles and extracting structured data across multiple retailer sites.
However, Atlas’s privacy model is more invasive than traditional browsers. The Washington Post’s review found that it not only logs the sites you visit but stores “memories” of the facts and insights from those sites. These memories influence suggestions and can recall which airline you prefer or which Halloween decorations you viewed. Privacy controls are scattered and confusing. Deleting your history doesn’t erase memories, and incognito only stops new ones from being added. OpenAI says memories expire after 30 days and browsing data isn’t used to train models by default, but the risk of detailed behavioural profiles remains.
Atlas’s agent mode adds a different kind of risk: the AI can operate your mouse and carry out multi‑step transactions. As the Post points out, if malicious prompts slip through, the agent could book hotel rooms or cancel subscriptions with your credentials. OpenAI plans to run high‑risk tasks in a cleared‑out browser and require user confirmation, but experts warn that autonomy and safety often pull in opposite directions. It’s wise to keep agent mode disabled on pages involving money or sensitive data.
How Atlas compares and who it’s for
When comparing AI browsers like Comet or Atlas, context matters. A thorough hands‑on review by Skywork.ai praised Atlas’s page‑aware “Ask” sidebar and in‑line writing help for their coherence and accuracy. The reviewer also liked the optional memories feature for remembering preferences, but warned users to regularly review and archive entries. The same review noted that extension compatibility and performance are limited, that Windows and mobile versions are still in development and that enterprise‑grade security features (like role‑based access and audit logs) are absent. In short, Atlas is promising for individual research, but it isn’t ready for regulated environments or team collaboration.
Beyond Comet and Atlas: other AI browsers
Other AI browsers are appearing. Arc’s Max and its beta offshoot Dia include AI helpers, but testers say the free tier is limited and paid upgrades are required for more advanced automation. Microsoft Edge’s Copilot is more conservative, and its multi‑step agent wasn’t reliable. Brave, Opera and Google are also adding AI features. Across the board, reviewers stress that strong guardrails are needed to prevent prompt‑injection attacks.
So, is it worth the hype?
AI browsers like Comet or Atlas represent an exciting step forward. They show how large language models can be woven directly into our browsing workflows, turning the browser into a research assistant and occasional concierge. For entrepreneurs, freelancers and content creators, that can mean faster research, fewer clicks and more polished writing in less time. But the benefits come with significant caveats:
- They’re still experimental. Both Comet and Atlas sometimes misinterpret instructions, struggle with memory and require supervision. Don’t rely on them for mission‑critical tasks.
- Privacy is a moving target. Comet stores your browsing data locally until you request a personal search, and Atlas’s memories are supposed to be optional, but hidden data collection can still occur. Controls are confusing and incognito modes don’t fully hide activity.
- Security risks are real. Prompt‑injection attacks show that AI agents can be tricked into executing malicious commands. Until guardrails mature, experts advise using AI browsers only for low‑risk browsing.
- They’re not yet full replacements. Performance issues, missing extensions and limited platform support make Comet and Atlas supplementary tools rather than complete Chrome or Safari replacements.
From my perspective as someone who coaches entrepreneurs and creatives, the best approach is to treat AI browsers as optional side‑kicks. Use them for early‑stage research, quick summaries and drafting emails, but keep your sensitive work in a traditional browser with proven privacy controls. If you decide to experiment, disable memory features, review your AI logs regularly and never share passwords or client data with the assistant. Most importantly, trust your instincts – if something feels off, switch back to a standard browser.
Final thoughts
The hype around AI browsers like Comet or Atlas reveals a genuine desire to make technology work harder for us. There is enormous potential in having your browser understand context, summarise sources and automate repetitive steps. For solopreneurs and busy creators, those gains could be transformative. But these tools also introduce a new class of risks. Until security catches up and privacy controls become truly transparent, caution is the wisest mindset. Dip your toes into AI browsing for research and writing, but don’t abandon the tried‑and‑true tools you know and trust. And if you do decide to explore, share your experiences with your community – we’re all learning together.
