ChatGPT Chrome Extension Can Now Read Tabs and Control Chrome

OpenAI’s ChatGPT Atlas browser is gone, so OpenAI is putting its browser smarts into the ChatGPT extension for Google Chrome instead. As The Verge reported on October 15, ChatGPT can now look at the tabs you already have open and, in Work mode, take actions in Chrome for you.

What is new

Tab mentions: with the extension installed, you can tag Chrome in ChatGPT’s web or desktop app and ChatGPT will use your open tabs as context. OpenAI’s demo shows someone asking ChatGPT to compare three open tabs of sofas they are thinking about buying.

Browser control: ChatGPT Work can now control your Chrome tabs for tasks like sending messages, filling out forms, or downloading files. It can also organize or group your open tabs. The Verge compares this to Google’s Gemini-powered auto browse feature.

Sidebar upgrade: ChatGPT in the Chrome sidebar now offers what OpenAI calls the full power of ChatGPT, plus your whole conversation history in Chat or Work, without leaving the page you are on.

What you can ask it to do

Sample tasks: OpenAI shared a few examples, such as filling out a registration form from an event brief and stopping before you submit, or putting the vendors in your open tabs into a comparison sheet with pricing, key features and source links.

Multi-step jobs: another example asks ChatGPT to compare contractor services across all open tabs, then draft an email to the best fit. One more fills out a new patient form for a dentist and adds the appointment to both a work and a personal calendar.

How to set it up

Start in the desktop app: according to OpenAI’s browser extension guide, you open Settings, then Computer Use in the ChatGPT desktop app, install the extension for your browser, and then pick your browser with an @-mention in a ChatGPT Work or Codex chat.

Signed-in sites: the guide says ChatGPT can read or act on sites where you are already signed in, such as Gmail, LinkedIn or Salesforce. In side chat you can also highlight text on a page and bring it into your chat.

Other browsers: all five supported browsers (Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera and Vivaldi) get tab mentions and browser control. Opera does not support side chat. OpenAI notes availability can depend on rollout and your workspace settings.

Our take: this puts ChatGPT in direct competition with Gemini in Chrome. Letting an AI act on signed-in sites is powerful, so check what it is doing before it submits anything important.