Browsers become the core entry point for AI! Google, Perplexity, Tencent, and Alibaba are all competing to seize it

Browsers, the oldest entry tool of the internet era, are becoming the new frontier of the AI era. While Perplexity, Google, and OpenAI are secretly competing for territory in Silicon Valley, Chinese tech giants Tencent and Alibaba are also quickly entering the global AI browser competition with QQ Browser and Quark as their weapons.

This quietly emerging transformation goes far beyond functional upgrades; it is a redefinition of internet infrastructure. Whoever can occupy this entry point may gain dominance in the next generation of the digital world.

AI Browser - The Next Generation Internet Entry

The first wave of the AI era is chatbots, but now tech companies are increasingly turning their attention to reimagining the basic services of the internet: web browsers.

AI browsers represent a redefinition of internet entry. This is not just a simple addition of functions, but a complete overhaul of products that have existed since the 1990s to meet the new demands of AI agents browsing the web and completing tasks for users.

"If you want to build a proactive, personalized AI, it needs to coexist with you," said Aravind Srinivas, CEO of AI search startup Perplexity, at the Bloomberg Technology Summit. "That's why we need to rethink the browser from the ground up."

Chinese and American Tech Giants Compete on the Same Stage

Perplexity is developing an AI browser called Comet, which is expected to be publicly released in the coming months. Currently, it is only open to about 1,200 early users.

In a demonstration, Comet looks like a standard browser window, but with an AI assistant feature in the sidebar that can search various open tabs in the user's browser, extract the correct statistics, and even proactively suggest sending emails.

In addition, Google is integrating its Gemini AI assistant into Chrome, allowing users to ask questions while browsing the web. According to previous reports from tech media The Information, OpenAI is also considering developing a browser. Opera and The Browser Company are integrating more AI features into their browsers.

Meanwhile, Chinese tech giants are also starting to bet on the AI browser track.

Recently, Tencent's QQ Browser has officially launched the QBot AI agent, fully upgraded to an AI browser, focusing on five capabilities: AI search, AI browsing, AI office, AI learning, and AI writing. Alibaba's Quark Browser was upgraded to an AI flagship application in March this year, launching the "AI Super Box."

The core logic of the two products is similar: QQ Browser's QBot agent and Quark's "AI Super Box" integrate multiple AI capabilities through a "box," allowing users to simply input commands in the search box, and the AI can automatically recognize intent and complete tasks.

This convergence indicates that, between China and the United States, tech giants have reached a certain tacit understanding regarding the strategic value and functional positioning of AI browsers.

Uncertain Times in the Browser Market

These measures come at a time of uncertainty in the browser market. Chrome surpassed Internet Explorer over a decade ago to become the most popular browser choice and has maintained its dominance since then. However, the U.S. Department of Justice has requested a federal judge to force Google to sell Chrome to curb the company's monopoly in the online search space. According to Bloomberg Intelligence, Chrome is valued at up to $20 billion.

At a court hearing, executives from Perplexity and OpenAI stated that they would be interested in acquiring Chrome if Google had to divest it. Considering OpenAI's valuation of $300 billion and Perplexity negotiating a new funding round at a $14 billion valuation, the former clearly has a stronger financial advantage.

Perplexity is also adopting another successful strategy of Google—forming pre-installation agreements with smartphone manufacturers. The startup is negotiating a comprehensive partnership with Samsung to integrate its search functionality into Samsung's web browser. In April of this year, Perplexity also announced a partnership with Motorola.

However, Perplexity claims that Google has been obstructing its collaborations. Srinivas stated at the summit, "Every time we get very close to signing a deal, there’s always a call from Mountain View, and they absolutely do not want us to succeed."