The AI Browser Wars

 Perplexity had shocked the tech world in August when the artificial intelligence (AI) startup unexpectedly put in a $34.5- billion bid for Chrome, Google’s browser that rules the non-Apple ecosystem. Nothing came of it, but it has nevertheless set about get­ting a slice of the browser market by now making its AI browser Comet free. So far, it had been lim­ited to those who took a paid sub­scription to its suite of high-end offerings.

Browsers like Chrome have AI tools, but AI is native to Comet, which means they devel­oped together. It is integral to the experience, which is not just navi­gating the web but being an assis­tant that answers questions, drafts emails, and does other tasks. For instance, suppose you have mul­tiple tabs open with different web­sites on them, Comet can make a summary or compare them all by just one command. There is also a voice mode that responds in near real time, making conversa­tions like a human being. Many AI browsers are gaining popularity, and Perplexity is thinking at scale. It has come up with unique initia­tives in India like paid services being offered free for a year for everyone on Airtel’s network. As it aims for market dominance, making Comet free is another step in that direction.

 NET CRAWLER

 Google has just released a specialised AI model that can browse the internet like a human. Called Gemini 2.5 Computer Use, it can do tasks like filling and submitting forms and can perform actions like clicking, typing, scrolling, using keyboard com­binations and cursor hovering just like a human would. Available via Google AI Studio and Vertex AI, it can only access a browser for now and hasn’t yet been optimised for desktop OS-level control.

 MEMORIES AT A PRICE

When Snapchat introduced Memories, a feature that allows users to save pho­tos and videos instead of them disap­pearing after a short time, it had no idea how popular it would become. It claims users have saved over a trillion such memories. The platform is now making this a paid feature. Up to 5GB of data will be kept free. But anything above will require the user to sign up for one of its new Memories storage plans.

 ALL MAPPED OUT

Instagram is rolling out its Map feature in India, allowing users to share and explore location-based content. Launched in select regions earlier, this allow users to share their live location while posting con­tent, while also allowing them to explore posts from nearby locations or specific spots. Instagram gives users the option to not share their location or to share it only with specific friends or groups, but it has sparked concerns about privacy.