American technology company OpenAI is ceasing development Atlas — a browser based on artificial intelligence (AI) ChatGPT, introduced in October 2025. This was announced by the head of browsers at the corporation, James Sun.
The closure of the project was announced as part of the presentation of a major update to ChatGPT to version 5.6 and other innovations, including the introduction of AI agent functions based on this model into the Google Chrome browser. The head of the specialized area expressed hope that users will like these changes and thanked them for their support.
“After all these updates, we will stop supporting Atlas. All of these features were created based on the experiences of Atlas users who took a chance and switched to the new browser. You taught us how agents can improve their experience on the open internet, and we are applying that knowledge to new products,” Sun said.
The estimated date for termination of support is August 8-9, 2026. The product thus lasted less than a year. In the presentation of the browser, OpenAI executives positioned it as a combination of a familiar interface with AI functions. Among the main features of Atlas were access to ChatGPT on any page and the presence of an agent mode, in which the model independently performs tasks: from compiling a shopping list and placing orders to structuring work tasks and editing texts.
All actions could be performed independently, but under the control of the user, who at any time could intervene and cancel or adjust the task for the AI. Atlas was initially available for macOS, and the developers noted plans to release versions for Windows and mobile devices “soon.” As a result, OpenAI did not present any other versions of the browser, and on the official Atlas download page it is still possible to download it only on macOS.
The developers noted that they will now focus their resources on expanding the capabilities of their ChatGPT desktop application, which will add web browsing capabilities, as well as developing an add-on for popular browsers that will allow the OpenAI product to be used directly within them.
“It's a direct competitor to Google's Gemini sidebar, which does a number of similar things. Together, these updates transform ChatGPT into a seamless workspace that spans Chrome, the desktop app, and the AI agent,” TechCrunch notes.
The collapse of such a large project is not the first for OpenAI. In March, the technology company announced the closure of the neural network for video generation Sora, as RTVI wrote about.
