Today, Opera revealed its latest innovation, an AI-powered side panel named Aria integrated into its browser. Leveraging OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology, Aria aims to simplify web-based tasks, such as locating information, generating text, writing code, and answering product queries. The cutting-edge feature is presently available for testing purposes.
Aria can also field questions about the Opera browser, as it is well-versed in the platform’s extensive support documentation. Utilizing Opera’s “composer” infrastructure, Aria connects to OpenAI’s GPT engine, enhancing its capabilities with live results from the web.
Unlike standard GPT-based solutions limited to pre-2021 data, Aria operates as a free service with real-time information, as it is directly connected to the internet. The AI sidebar will launch in more than 180 countries.
To test Aria, users can download the newest version of Opera One or the latest beta version of the browser for Android users. Testers need only create an Opera account, if they do not already have one, to access Aria. After account whitelisting, they can find Aria through the settings of Opera for Android beta or the browser sidebar of Opera One.
The introduction of Aria advances Opera’s existing AI features, which include generative AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and ChatSonic in its desktop browsers, Opera and Opera GX. Opera also introduced a tool that generates AI prompts by highlighting text on a website or manually entering it. These chatbots can distill articles, write social media posts or assist users in generating ideas.
Opera recently unveiled its redesigned flagship browser dubbed Opera One, which contains elements designed for a generative AI-based future. Aria is the next step, offering an AI browser assistant that enables direct interaction with the web within the browser itself. Aria’s chat interface communicates directly with users, signifying the first phase of this project. As the initiative progresses, Aria will become increasingly integrated into Opera, with the ultimate goal of blending natively into the browser to facilitate cross-browser tasks.
The addition of Aria mirrors AI-powered features debuted by other browser developers, such as Microsoft’s Bing AI chatbot in its Edge browser’s sidebar. However, Opera is not alone in exploring AI technology for their browsers, as Brave earlier this year introduced summarization functions in its search engine and is currently experimenting with AI-driven features for its browser. With the rapid growth and adoption of no-code platforms, like AppMaster.io, these advanced AI capabilities can assist various businesses and users in simplifying their processes and optimizing productivity.