Opera Launches Browser Operator: AI Revolution

Opera has recently launched an innovative new feature that promises to revolutionize the online browsing experience: Browser Operator. This AI agent, integrated directly into the browser, represents a significant advancement in the evolution of digital assistants, standing out for its ability to autonomously perform concrete tasks on the web on behalf of the user.

Introduced during the Mobile World Congress 2025, Browser Operator is not just a simple chatbot capable of providing answers, but a virtual assistant capable of actively interacting with websites and online platforms, automating many daily tasks that would normally require time and attention from the user. The new solution is distinguished by its approach to privacy, integrated features, and control mechanisms that set it apart significantly from OpenAI's Operator agent, launched a few months earlier.

Browser Operator marks a significant evolution in the concept of digital assistants, transforming the browser from a passive tool for viewing content to an active system capable of acting autonomously. This AI agent integrated into the Opera browser is designed to perform a wide range of online operations that traditionally would require direct user intervention. Unlike traditional virtual assistants that merely provide information or generate content, Browser Operator can navigate between web pages, fill out.

Modules, interact with buttons and menus, and complete transactions on behalf of the user, all in response to simple instructions formulated in natural language. The concept behind Browser Operator essentially consists of providing the user with a sort of "digital delegate" capable of handling repetitive or complex tasks. This approach marks the beginning of what Opera defines as "the agentic era of AI tools," where artificial intelligences do not merely answer questions but actively act on behalf of the user, significantly simplifying everyday online activities.

Currently in preview and available to a limited number of testers, the feature will soon be accessible through Opera's Feature Drop program, with a public launch expected in 2025. The operation of Browser Operator is based on an innovative approach to interacting with web interfaces. When the user expresses a request in natural language, the agent interprets the instruction and transforms it into a series of concrete actions to be executed within the browser. The potential of this system is extremely Browser Operator: Opera's Integrated AI Agent that Revolutionizes Web Browsing The Revolutionary Nature of Browser Operator

Operation and Operational Capabilities are extensive: it can assist the user in purchasing products on e-commerce platforms, booking tickets for events or flights, organizing trips on booking portals, and even canceling orders or searching for the best deals across various sites.

A distinctive feature of Browser Operator is its ability to understand and interact with the structures of web pages without the need to capture screenshots or video recordings.

Unlike other AI solutions, Opera has designed its agent to directly access the Document Object Model (DOM) of the page, using a textual representation to grasp the content. This method allows the agent to interact with elements that may not be immediately visible to the user, such as cookie pop-ups or elements that would require scrolling the page. During the execution of operations, Browser Operator provides the user with full transparency regarding its actions.

It is possible to monitor in real-time every step taken by the agent, viewing a detailed history of the actions performed, similar to an AI reasoning model. This level of transparency not only increases trust in the agent but also allows the user to intervene at any moment to correct, redirect, or halt the ongoing operation simply by clicking the "Cancel" button.

One of the most significant aspects of Browser Operator is its approach to privacy and data security. Opera has created its AI agent to operate completely locally, where all processing occurs directly on the user's device. Unlike other solutions that may send data to external servers, Browser Operator does not transfer information to cloud servers, ensuring that browsing data and user logins remain confidential and protected.

This native operation offers notable advantages not only for privacy but also for the efficiency of operations. Local processing allows the agent to be faster and more effective, eliminating latency times associated with transmitting data to remote servers.

The architecture of Browser Operator has also been designed to implement a mechanism called "human-in-the-loop," which represents an important safeguard for sensitive information.

When the agent needs to handle steps that require the input of confidential data such as payment details, passwords, or login credentials, it automatically stops and requests the direct intervention of the user. In these situations, the user can decide whether to personally enter the information on the web page or provide it through the Browser Operator chat, which then the execution of the activity will resume.

It is essential to highlight that the agent neither retains nor ever accesses sensitive data such as passwords or credit card information, leaving the web page the task of managing them according to its own security policies.

The comparison between Opera's Browser Operator and OpenAI's Operator highlights two distinct philosophies in the implementation of AI agents for web browsing. OpenAI introduced its Operator in January 2025, a few months before Opera, as the first AI agent capable of performing actions directly on the Web on behalf of the user.

However, there are significant differences in both the architecture and operational modes of the two systems. The OpenAI Operator is based on an advanced model called CUA (Computer-Using Agent), which integrates the visual capabilities of GPT-4o with a highly sophisticated reinforcement learning system. This system requires the acquisition of screenshots to "see" and interact with the browser, a fundamentally different approach from that used by Opera.

The Browser Operator, on the other hand, accesses the DOM of the web page directly, eliminating the need to visually capture the interface. Another important difference concerns the availability and accessibility of the two services. While Opera's Browser Operator will gradually be made available to all browser users through the Feature Drop program, the OpenAI Operator is currently only accessible in the United States and reserved for users with an active ChatGPT Pro plan, which costs about $200 per month. Opera has not yet clarified whether the Browser Operator will be offered for free or as a paid feature.

As for data management and privacy, Opera has clearly stated that the Browser Operator works locally, keeping user data on the device. Information on the OpenAI Operator does not specify data management practices as clearly, but OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, has indicated that the service will be expanded to other countries, with Europe "taking a bit of time," suggesting possible complications related to the continent's privacy regulations.

The introduction of the Browser Operator marks an important evolution in the landscape of AI-based assistants. Opera already has experience in AI implementations: in 2023, in collaboration with OpenAI, it launched Aria, a browsing software with artificial intelligence capabilities integrated. Air allowed users to enhance their creativity by using generative artificial intelligence features to search for information online, generate texts or codes, and receive answers to their questions, but it was not able to operate autonomously as a Browser Operator.

The evolution from passive assistants that answer questions to true active agents that perform tasks represents a significant trend in the industry. This transition marks the beginning of what could be defined as the era of "digital delegation," in which repetitive or complex tasks are delegated to intelligent systems, freeing up time and attention for the user.

In the future, we are likely to witness further advancements in these technologies, with AI agents increasingly capable of understanding complex contexts and managing unforeseen situations. The main challenge will remain balancing the autonomy and efficiency of these systems with the necessary guarantees of privacy, security, and user control.

Perspectives along with other players that may enter this sector, could accelerate innovation, leading to increasingly advanced solutions more advanced and integrated into the daily online browsing experience.

Opera's Browser Operator represents a significant advancement in the evolution of digital assistants, providing an AI agent that can actively operate on the web on behalf of the user. Its native and local approach to data management, combined with the ability to interact directly with the structures of web pages, sets it apart from OpenAI's Operator and establishes a new standard for autonomous browsing agents.

Operational transparency and the "human-in-the-loop" mechanism ensure that the user always retains control, while the agent handles repetitive or complex tasks. Although currently in preview and available only to a limited number of testers, Browser Operator promises to revolutionize the way we interact with the web, automating tasks that would traditionally require time and direct attention.

With a public release expected in 2025, it will be interesting to see how users adopt this technology and how it will influence our daily browsing habits, potentially marking the beginning of a new era in online human-machine interaction.