ChatGPT’s Chrome extension can now read and act on your open tabs

In short: OpenAI has upgraded the ChatGPT extension for Google Chrome so it can look at your open tabs and, in some cases, help control them.

What happened

OpenAI shut down its ChatGPT Atlas browser, but it is adding new features to the existing ChatGPT extension for Google Chrome. A Chrome extension is a small add-on you install in your browser, like a new tool you attach to a toolbox.

With the updated extension installed, OpenAI says ChatGPT can view your open Chrome tabs when you tag Chrome inside the ChatGPT web or desktop app. In a demo, someone asks ChatGPT to compare three open tabs showing different sofas.

OpenAI also listed example tasks, such as pulling details from an event brief to help fill out a registration form, copying vendor information from multiple tabs into a comparison sheet, and reviewing contractor websites across tabs before drafting an email. It also says ChatGPT can help fill out forms for things like a dentist visit, then add the appointment to work and personal calendars.

The ChatGPT sidebar in Chrome has also been updated. OpenAI says it can now show your full conversation history without leaving the page you are reading.

For some users, OpenAI says “ChatGPT Work” can control Chrome tabs for actions like sending messages, filling out forms, downloading files, and organizing or grouping tabs. This is similar to Google’s Gemini “auto browse” feature, which can do tasks across web pages.

Why it matters

This update moves ChatGPT closer to being a helper that can work across the web pages you already have open, rather than only answering questions in a separate chat window. For everyday users, that could mean less copying and pasting between sites, but it also raises practical questions about what information the tool can access from your tabs and when.

Source: The Verge AI