OpenAI has declared its interest in buying Google Chrome (if Alphabet is forced to sell it following an antitrust ruling against the tech giant), raising major questions about the future of internet browsing, AI, and search.
OpenAI’s Interest Made Clear During Antitrust Testimony
Speaking during a landmark antitrust trial in Washington DC, OpenAI’s Head of Product for ChatGPT, Nick Turley, confirmed that the AI company would “absolutely” consider buying Chrome should it become available.
“Yes, we would, as would many other parties,” Turley testified. He added that integrating ChatGPT directly into Chrome could create “a really incredible experience,” giving users a glimpse into an “AI-first experience” for web browsing.
Turley’s comments came during a three-week remedies phase of the US Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit against Google, where the focus has shifted from proving wrongdoing to deciding what structural changes might be needed to restore competition.
The Google Antitrust Trial
Google’s troubles with US regulators are nothing new, but the current trial represents one of the most serious challenges to the company’s dominance. In 2023, a federal judge ruled that Google maintained an illegal monopoly over online search. For example, proposed remedies include:
– Forcing Google to divest its Chrome browser.
– Preventing Google from paying companies (e.g. Apple, Samsung) to make Google their default search.
– Forcing Google to share its search index with rivals.
Chrome has become a central focus because of its overwhelming influence on how users access the internet. For example, according to Similarweb, Chrome commands around 64 per cent of the global browser market. Microsoft’s Edge trails far behind at 13.35 per cent, while Apple’s Safari holds 21 per cent of the market.
Therefore, if the court orders Google to spin off Chrome, it would clearly be one of the most significant regulatory interventions in tech history, and it now seems as though OpenAI is positioning itself as a major contender to scoop it up.
Why OpenAI Wants Chrome
At its core, OpenAI’s interest in Chrome is likely to be about reach. Despite the soaring popularity of ChatGPT, distributing AI services directly to users has been a major hurdle. As Brian Jackson, Principal Research Director at Info-Tech Research Group (quoted in Fortune) puts it: “Control of a browser is control of the primary access point to the web,” and that “Owning Chrome would instantly give OpenAI a massive footprint and new opportunities to harvest browser interaction data.”
Currently, ChatGPT Search exists as a Chrome extension, with around three million users according to the Chrome Web Store. However, deeper integration could significantly enhance both the functionality and the adoption rate of OpenAI’s tools.
Turley also highlighted that access to web browsing is crucial to OpenAI’s ambitions to build a “super assistant” , i.e. an AI capable of helping users with real-time, accurate information across daily tasks.
However, it seems that OpenAI has faced stiff barriers to wider distribution. Although it successfully partnered with Apple to integrate ChatGPT into iPhones, it has struggled on Android, where Google’s influence is stronger. For example, since January, Google has paid Samsung to make its own Gemini AI model the default on Samsung devices, leaving little room for rivals.
“Our powerful competitors control the access points,” Turley said, warning that without new avenues, OpenAI’s growth could be limited.
What Would It Mean If OpenAI Bought Chrome?
For OpenAI, the benefits of getting Chrome are clear, i.e. it’s an instant gateway to billions of users, deeper integration of AI into everyday browsing, and access to a treasure trove of real-time user interaction data.
For users, however, the picture may be more complicated. For example, OpenAI already holds vast amounts of data through ChatGPT interactions. If it owned a browser, it could potentially access even more detailed information about user behaviour, searches, and preferences. This raises new privacy concerns. As Professor Anjana Susarla, an expert in Information Systems at Michigan State University, says: “The idea of an AI company having access to your browsing history should make everyone think carefully about data protection.”
There would also be a significant shift in the competitive landscape. Today, Google dominates not just search but also browser-based advertising. OpenAI’s takeover of Chrome could fragment the market, creating new opportunities for Microsoft (with Bing and Edge), Apple (with Safari), and rising AI-powered search engines like Perplexity AI.
What Does Google Say?
Unsurprisingly, Google is not keen on the idea! In a statement, Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s Head of Regulatory Affairs, said that the government’s proposals would “hurt America’s consumers, economy, and technological leadership.”
Google has also made clear that it has no intention of selling Chrome voluntarily. The company plans to appeal the earlier rulings that declared it a search and advertising monopolist.
Challenges and Criticisms of an OpenAI Chrome Acquisition
While the prospect is tantalising for OpenAI, it would not be without major challenges. For example:
– Antitrust regulators would almost certainly scrutinise any deal that allowed OpenAI (itself heavily backed by Microsoft) to control a major internet gateway. Microsoft’s existing links to OpenAI through its Azure cloud deals and investments could raise concerns about a new type of market consolidation.
– The backlash over data privacy could be fierce. Businesses, particularly those reliant on sensitive web applications, would likely be cautious about trusting a browser tied to an AI company whose models constantly learn from user interactions.
– Maintaining a browser the size and complexity of Chrome is no small feat. Ensuring security updates, standards compliance, and feature innovation at the scale Chrome users expect would stretch OpenAI’s capabilities far beyond its current experience.
What Does This Mean For Your Business?
The possibility of OpenAI acquiring Chrome, while still hypothetical, marks a pivotal moment for the future of internet browsing, AI development, and competitive dynamics across the tech sector. Should Alphabet be forced to part with its prized browser, it could fundamentally alter how billions of users experience the web, and who holds influence over that journey.
For OpenAI, the opportunity to directly control such a vast user base would accelerate its ambitions to integrate AI into everyday life. Yet the potential for wider concerns around privacy, regulatory scrutiny, and concentration of power would be equally profound. An AI company, especially one with OpenAI’s scale and reach, controlling both a major browser and a large language model platform would invite fresh questions over how personal data is used, secured, and monetised.
From a business perspective (especially for UK firms) any shift in browser ownership could have far-reaching implications. Chrome remains the default environment for a significant proportion of business applications, marketing strategies, and customer engagement channels. A transition to an OpenAI-owned Chrome could introduce new integrations, potentially making AI-powered tools more accessible, but it could also mean greater complexity around data governance and compliance requirements, particularly under UK GDPR standards. Firms may need to review their digital strategies more closely if browser platforms start embedding AI deeper into the browsing experience.
Meanwhile, for Google, the threat of losing Chrome would weaken its dominance not only in search but also in digital advertising and browser-driven innovation. Rivals like Microsoft, Apple, and emerging AI-first players could find new openings to grow their own ecosystems, leading to a more fragmented, but potentially more dynamic marketplace. Other stakeholders, from consumers to regulators, would need to weigh up the benefits of greater competition against the risks of concentrating browsing and AI capabilities in fewer hands.
Whether OpenAI’s interest in Chrome becomes reality or not, the mere fact it is seriously being discussed shows how the battle lines in tech are rapidly redrawing. Search, browsing, and AI are no longer separate arenas but are becoming a single, contested frontier. How that frontier is shaped (and who wins control over it) will have lasting consequences for users, businesses, and the broader digital economy alike.
