OpenAI's ChatGPT extension can now read and act on open Chrome tabs

A browser extension that reads open tabs

OpenAI has updated its ChatGPT extension for Google Chrome so the assistant can work with the tabs a user already has open. The user opens the pages of interest, then asks ChatGPT about them from the extension, and the assistant reads the content and checks it against the question. Spider's Web reported the update on 16 October. OpenAI says the extension also works with other Chromium-based browsers, naming Microsoft Edge, Brave and Opera. Engadget notes that users on any ChatGPT plan can get the extension, and that the update follows the retirement of ChatGPT Atlas, OpenAI's own browser, on 9 August.

Chat mode: comparing what is already open

In Chat mode, ChatGPT analyses the content of open tabs and uses it to shape its answers. OpenAI's example involved three tabs showing sofas, which the assistant compared by dimensions, prices, delivery time and return policy, according to Engadget. Spider's Web describes similar uses, such as setting the prices and main features of products on different sites side by side, or gathering data on services offered by individual contractors. Fanpage describes the routine the feature replaces: switching between pages, noting results by hand or building a spreadsheet. The Verge describes a demo in which someone asks the assistant to weigh three open sofa tabs against sofas they are still considering.

Work mode: acting inside Chrome

Work mode goes further. Engadget describes ChatGPT Work as OpenAI's agent for complex multi-step tasks, able to send messages, fill out forms, organise tabs and download files. Spider's Web adds that in this mode the assistant can control the browser and group open tabs by topic. The Verge says the function resembles the auto browse feature in Google's Gemini. Fanpage describes a video in which a receipt that arrived in Gmail is uploaded to a portal, with ChatGPT taking the information and moving it across. The sample prompts OpenAI published include filling in a registration form from an event brief and stopping before submission, adding vendors to a comparison sheet with pricing, key features and source links, and filling in a form before a visit to a new dentist. One prompt also asks for the appointment to be added to the user's work and personal calendars.

Sidebar and conversation history

The update also changes the ChatGPT sidebar in Chrome. According to Engadget, the sidebar now has access to the user's full history, so people can talk to the assistant and assign tasks without leaving the page they are viewing. The Verge reports that the sidebar brings the full power of ChatGPT to the open page, with the entire conversation history available in Chat or Work. Spider's Web notes that users can carry out tasks from the sidebar without leaving the page they are browsing.

Scope and limits

Spider's Web stresses that what the assistant can do depends on the type of task and the tools available for it. The examples OpenAI published point toward an assistant that does more than search and analyse pages. Fanpage notes that OpenAI published the sample prompts to make the new functions clearer. The Verge's report appeared on 15 October, the day before Spider's Web and Fanpage covered the update on 16 October.