What are AI browsers, and do they change how customers find a business?
An AI browser is a web browser with an AI assistant built in, so a person can ask questions about the pages they have open, compare them and, in some, hand over tasks. Perplexity's Comet uses Perplexity's AI search as its primary search engine; Google offers Gemini in Chrome, and Microsoft offers Copilot in Edge. For a business, it may mean a customer compares your site with others in one request. No source cited here measures how many customers use them.
What the makers say these browsers do
| Browser | What its maker says |
|---|---|
| Comet, from Perplexity | A Chromium-based browser with AI built in; Perplexity's AI search is its primary search engine, with Ask and Summarize buttons for the pages you open |
| Chrome, with Gemini in Chrome | An assistant in the browser that uses the context of your open tabs to give key takeaways, compare options and find answers |
| Edge, with Copilot | Copilot built into Edge, using your tabs to compare options, surface key details and give answers |
From answers to tasks
Perplexity launched Comet on July 9, 2025, saying its assistant conducts entire browsing sessions; its launch post's examples include asking Comet to book a meeting or send an email based on something you saw. Comet's page says it is available for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android.
Google says that with auto browse, Gemini in Chrome can complete multi-step tasks on the web, from filling a shopping cart to booking a reservation, and its Gemini page lists appointment booking among them; auto browse is only available to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the U.S. Microsoft's page suggests prompts such as "Decide between these apartments" and says Copilot remembers what you have worked on.
These assistants can be wrong: Google's Chrome page tells users to "Check responses for accuracy", and the related answer on what a large language model is explains why. The related answers on what Perplexity is and on what Microsoft Copilot is cover those assistants outside the browser.
What may change for a business
As general advice, a few things may change. A customer with your site and two competitors' sites open can ask the assistant to compare them, and the summary will lean on what each page says about services, area and how to book. A search in Comet goes to Perplexity's AI search, which Perplexity's help page calls Comet's primary search engine. Perplexity also lists a built-in ad blocker among Comet's features, so some ads may not reach a customer browsing in it.
An assistant asked to book or request a quote may also be the one filling in your form. The related answer on whether AI assistants will contact businesses for customers covers the phone version, and the related answer on how customers find businesses through AI assistants covers what to check about your own business.
What is not known yet
No source cited here measures how many people use AI browsers, or how often they use one to find a local business, and Google says Gemini in Chrome is not available to everyone yet. The plainest way to learn whether your customers use them is to ask every new inquiry how they found you, and record AI answer as the channel when an assistant was involved.
Sources
- Perplexity, "Comet Browser: a Personal AI Assistant"
- Perplexity, "Introducing Comet: Browse at the speed of thought" (July 9, 2025)
- Perplexity Help Center, "Getting Started with Comet" (last modified September 4, 2026)
- Google Chrome, "AI in Chrome: help right where you need it"
- Google, "Gemini in Chrome — AI assistance, right in your browser"
- Microsoft Edge, "Copilot in Edge"
Related answers
- How do customers find businesses through AI assistants?
- What is Perplexity, and do customers use it to find businesses?
- What is Microsoft Copilot, and do customers use it to find businesses?
- What is a large language model (LLM), in plain terms?
- Will AI assistants call or contact businesses on a customer's behalf?
GEO: recommended in AI answers
When a customer asks ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google's AI who to call, the answer names a few businesses. GEO is the work of making yours one of them.