On Monday, browser maker Opera published a seriously impressive demo of what it calls “Browser Operator,” showing off its upcoming AI-powered browser technology that allows you to assign shopping tasks to Opera, which it then pursues independently.
Opera calls this “agentic browsing” and claims that it’s a “paradigm shift for browsers.” The tech industry likes to overuse that phrase, with almost everything being a paradigm shift in some way, but in this case it might actually be appropriate.
Agentic browsing allows you to prompt the browser to research a shopping task for you, using AI, in much the same way you might check a number of shopping sites or ask a travel agent to plan a vacation for you. Opera says the browser does all of this locally, using your PC’s resources, rather than sending the information to the cloud. The shopping task is treated like an AI prompt, which you type into a small window at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.
Crucially, Opera’s demo does not show the browser actually completing the transaction. It basically pauses on a screen with the shopping site’s own “checkout” browser shown but not clicked.
In the video demonstration, Opera’s Browser Operator is asked, “Find me 12 pairs of white Nike socks in men’s size 10 that I can buy.” The browser then executes several steps, similar to the “deep research” AI models that have begun to circulate, which break down the prompted task into a series of steps, which are then executed.
Opera also showed off how Browser Operator could work in a series of queries. A second prompt asked Browser Operator to book tickets for Newcastle United’s next Premier League game at its home stadium, with preferred seats around midfield but with a total price limit. After the tickets were found and approved, the user asked Opera to research flights and a hotel for those dates as well.
YouTube / Opera
Right now, all of this is just a demo. “Opera’s Browser Operator is currently available as a preview of the upcoming functionality,” the company said. “Opera expects to launch the new Browser Operator as part of its AI feature drop program in the near future.”
Opera hasn’t said if it will charge for the feature. Typically, AI models require several gigabytes worth of downloaded data. And, of course, there’s the trust aspect — even if Browser Operator doesn’t complete the transaction, can you be sure you received the best deal? That the AI actually did everything you asked it to do?
Users will undoubtedly have to test out Browser Operator themselves. Can Opera pull it off? Demos aren’t always to be trusted, but it’s a fascinating proof of concept nevertheless.
Further reading: Opera’s Air browser helps battle doomscrolling