Opera Neon: The AI-Powered Browser That Writes Code While You Sleep?
Could your web browser soon be coding games, writing reports, and even building websites for you? Opera is betting on it with its new Opera Neon browser, an "agentic browser" powered by AI. The company claims Neon can proactively perform tasks on your behalf, fundamentally changing how we interact with the internet.
Opera first teased this concept back in 2017 with a browser also named Neon, but it never caught on. This time, the company is leaning heavily into AI, hoping to differentiate Neon from the competition. Is this just another flash in the pan, or is Opera truly onto something groundbreaking?
According to Opera, Opera Neon is designed to understand and interpret user requests through a cloud-based AI engine. This could allow users to generate code snippets, create entire websites, or even develop games simply through text prompts. Imagine telling your browser to "create a simple website for my small business" and having it done automatically, even while you're offline. Opera says Neon is intended to be a "premium subscription product", but specific pricing details and a concrete launch date remain elusive.
Henrik Lexow, Senior AI Product Director at Opera, stated, "We’re at a point where AI can fundamentally change the way we use the internet and perform all sorts of tasks in the browser. Opera Neon brings this to our users’ fingertips."
The browser features three main options: Chat, Do, and Make. Chat offers a chatbot interface for web searching and answering queries. Do leverages Opera's Browser Operator AI agent for tasks like filling forms and booking travel. Make allows users to create content like games and websites with text prompts.
Opera Neon isn't the only player in this space. Microsoft's Copilot and OpenAI's Operator offer similar AI tools. The Browser Company is also developing an AI-powered browser, and Google is exploring AI agents for search and task completion. The key differentiator for Opera Neon will likely be its ability to perform tasks offline and its focus on creating complex content like code and websites.
While details are currently scarce, Opera Neon aims to automate routine web tasks while preserving privacy and security. However, past experiences with AI apps have shown that performance often falls short of the hype. We'll need to see real-world demonstrations to assess whether Neon lives up to its ambitious claims.
Will Opera Neon truly revolutionize the way we use the web, or will it become another forgotten experiment? Only time will tell. You can sign up for the waitlist to be among the first to try it out.
What do you think? Is an AI-powered browser the future of web browsing? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
