OpenAI's Atlas browser launched with bold promises of AI-powered web browsing, but early real-world testing reveals a different story. A comprehensive hands-on review from WIRED exposes significant gaps between Atlas's marketing pitch and actual user experience, raising questions about whether AI sidebars truly enhance web browsing or just get in the way.
OpenAI's Atlas browser launched last week with the promise of revolutionizing web browsing through AI integration, but the first comprehensive hands-on review suggests the reality falls far short of the hype. WIRED's Reece Rogers spent several days testing the browser and came away unconvinced that the web needs an AI tour guide.
The core issue isn't with Atlas's ambition but with its execution. The browser's signature Ask ChatGPT sidebar, which OpenAI positions as a "major unlock" for contextual web assistance, consistently delivered underwhelming results during real-world testing. When Rogers browsed the Xbox website looking for game recommendations, ChatGPT suggested the generic "Madden NFL 26" despite having access to over a year of his ChatGPT interaction history that could have informed better personalized suggestions.
More concerning were the technical UX problems. The AI sidebar compresses the main content window, causing websites to appear "skinnier than usual" and making some sites look "incredibly janky," according to the review. The WIRED homepage was particularly affected, with its layout completely destroyed when the sidebar was active.
Built on Google's Chromium platform - the same foundation as Chrome and Opera - Atlas currently looks nearly identical to Chrome, causing Rogers to forget which browser he was using during testing. The similarity highlights how Atlas is essentially Chrome with an AI sidebar bolted on, rather than a fundamentally reimagined browsing experience.
But the most troubling discovery came when testing privacy boundaries. ChatGPT initially told Rogers that opening private Bluesky DMs wouldn't expose anything to the AI: "I'll simply stop 'seeing' the page until you go back to a public view." However, when Rogers actually opened a private message and asked about it, ChatGPT provided detailed information about the conversation and sender, directly contradicting its earlier privacy assurance.
When confronted about this inconsistency, ChatGPT backtracked with a different explanation about how it accesses information, calling the initial response a potential AI "hallucination" - the industry term for when AI systems confidently provide incorrect information.
