Opera has previewed a new AI agent feature that promises to complete online tasks on your behalf, based on simple, written prompts.Want to book a flight but dont want to spend ages comparing prices? Tell the bot your preferred flight times, seats, and budget and itll get to work in the background, letting you carry on with whatever it was you were doing. Once its done, itll add the item to your cart and you can proceed to pay.Unlike existing tools like Google AI assistant or ChatGPT, which help you find information by summarising search results, answering questions, and suggesting links, Operas AI agent does the browsing for you.Opera claims the tool dubbed Browser Operator signals a new paradigm in the history of browsing.The of EU techThe latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!For more than 30 years, the browser gave you access to the web, but it has never been able to get stuff done for you. Now it can, said Operas executive vice president Krystian Kolondra. This is different from anything weve seen or shipped so far.Browser Operator isnt just for shopping, though. It can search the web for whatever you need, potentially saving you time on menial tasks. Importantly, the tool comes with some built-in safeguards. You see what its doing at every step in the process and can easily pause or cancel any task.Opera claims the AI agent is the first agentic browsing feature launched by any major browser. However, major AI firms are working on their versions of similar systems.Last year, Anthropic launched a computer use feature that allows its Claude chatbot to take over your computer and browse on your behalf. OpenAI unveiled a similar feature Operator in January.Both of those tools, however, are virtual machines that operate in the cloud. Simply put, this means theyre slow. In contrast, Operas tool operates locally, directly on your browser, making it potentially much faster and more secure.Unlike Claude or Operator, Operas agent doesnt take screenshots or capture videos of your screen. By processing tasks locally, it ensures user data remains on the device, which the company said enhances privacy.Opera plans to launch the full version of the Browser Operator in the near future. The tool is the latest in a long line of AI developments at the Norwegian company. In 2023, Opera launched a fully AI-enabled browser, and last year it became the first major browser to integrate large language models (LLMs). Story by Sin Geschwindt Sin is a climate and energy reporter at TNW. From nuclear fusion to escooters, he covers the length and breadth of Europe's clean tech ecos (show all) Sin is a climate and energy reporter at TNW. From nuclear fusion to escooters, he covers the length and breadth of Europe's clean tech ecosystem. He's happiest sourcing a scoop, investigating the impact of emerging technologies, and even putting them to the test. Sin has five years journalism experience and holds a dual degree in media and environmental science from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Get the TNW newsletterGet the most important tech news in your inbox each week.Also tagged with