{"id":90276,"date":"2025-10-25T11:13:31","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T08:13:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/?p=90276"},"modified":"2025-12-04T06:57:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T03:57:04","slug":"smart-but-power-hungry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/smart-but-power-hungry\/","title":{"rendered":"The Genius Browser That Eats Your CPU for Breakfast"},"content":{"rendered":"

On October 21 OpenAI unveiled<\/a> the Atlas browser with a built-in chatbot and an AI assistant<\/a> capable of interacting with websites on the user\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n

ChatGPT Plus subscribers can use all browser tools at no extra cost. For now, it is available only on macOS.<\/p>\n

ForkLog tested Atlas and reviewed early feedback.<\/p>\n

Interface and usability<\/h2>\n

You can download the browser from the company\u2019s official site<\/a>. It will prompt you to sign in and import settings from Chrome or Safari. You can skip the latter.<\/p>\n

Because Atlas is built on Chromium, migration is painless\u2014history, bookmarks, saved passwords and even open tabs can be imported. The interface is minimalist.<\/p>\n

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Atlas interface. Screenshot: ForkLog.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Navigation and past chats live on the left; settings sit in the top-right. A nice touch: a slider lets you change the browser\u2019s colour.<\/p>\n

The home screen largely mirrors ChatGPT\u2019s page design. A large prompt field sits in the centre alongside a list of AI models.<\/p>\n

By default, search routes through the chatbot. You can switch to Google if needed: open a new tab, enter a query and Atlas will offer the alternative.<\/p>\n

\"image\"
Switching to Google. Screenshot: ForkLog.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The lack of an explicit default-search setting irks at first, but after a couple of hours you get used to choosing manually each time.<\/p>\n

OpenAI\u2019s browser supports any extensions from the Chrome Web Store, which will delight many crypto users.<\/p>\n

\"image\"
Installing MetaMask. Screenshot: ForkLog.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That partly offsets a shortcoming: Atlas lacks a built-in ad blocker, so you will need AdBlock. It also has no integration with 1Password or other password managers\u2014an unwelcome surprise for some.<\/p>\n

Atlas matches other browsers for speed and smoothness. Page loads are standard. One quirk, however, is high power draw. Although it uses no more RAM than Chrome, users report it \u201cgobbles\u201d about 1% of battery for every two minutes of activity.<\/p>\n

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A user complains about Atlas\u2019s high energy use. Source: Reddit<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One user also saw the browser crash twice without obvious cause.<\/p>\n

A more serious flaw is the lack of profiles. Browsing and settings tie to a single ChatGPT account, mixing work and personal queries. Separate work and personal profiles would fix this.<\/p>\n

Chat assistant<\/h2>\n

Atlas\u2019s signature feature\u2014the one that earns it the \u201cAI browser\u201d moniker\u2014is deep ChatGPT integration throughout web surfing. The assistant is always at hand: click \u201cAsk ChatGPT\u201d on the right sidebar. It immediately understands the page context and answers accordingly.<\/p>\n

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Screenshot: ForkLog.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All of ChatGPT\u2019s capabilities are available in-browser: ask about the current tab, get a summary of a long text or a plain-English explanation of a knotty concept, translate a passage\u2014without third-party tools.<\/p>\n

Before long your search style shifts: instead of typing keywords, you write full questions.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cPreviously, Chrome made web surfing fast, and Atlas makes it smart,\u201d \u2014 rightly <\/em>noted<\/em><\/a> one user. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Using Atlas underscores how much time ordinary browsers waste on copying links or hunting through long articles for the right passage.<\/p>\n

Memory<\/h2>\n

A memory feature lets the browser remember which sites and topics you have viewed, and it factors these into replies. Atlas can retain details from previously visited pages and tailor results to personal interests.<\/p>\n

For instance, if you accidentally close several tabs with film lists and later ask for movie recommendations, the AI will consider the pages you visited and suggest options that fit your tastes.<\/p>\n

Another use: open several product pages and ask ChatGPT to compare them.<\/p>\n

Memory is undeniably a meaningful upgrade in personalisation. Yet pushing this too far could mark the end of classic open search, with results increasingly filtered.<\/p>\n

Some users also found that enabling memory \u201cdumbs down\u201d the model: it starts making odd assumptions about the interlocutor and slips into an overly personalised tone.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAtlas gets about two to three times smarter the second you turn off memories,\u201d \u2014 <\/em>noted<\/em><\/a> the user. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Others disable it over perceived bias\u2014without it, answers are supposedly more candid and precise.<\/p>\n

The effect likely depends on how you use the browser. One safe conclusion: treat it with caution.<\/p>\n

AI agent<\/h2>\n

Another pillar of Atlas is its AI agent. A special mode lets it execute user commands autonomously\u2014reserve tickets, place orders, fill forms\u2014while you watch it click through sites.<\/p>\n