Anthropic on Tuesday unveiled a research preview of its latest experiment in agentic AI: a browser-based assistant powered by its Claude models.
Branded Claude for Chrome, the extension is rolling out first to a group of 1,000 subscribers on Anthropic’s Max plan, which costs between $100 and $200 per month. A waitlist has also opened for other users eager to test the new system.
According to TechCrunch, the tool is designed to maintain awareness of everything happening in a user’s browser session by embedding Claude directly into Chrome through a sidecar window. Beyond contextual chat, users can grant Claude permission to act on their behalf—taking over tasks that traditionally require manual clicks or inputs. The system is pitched as a step toward seamless integration, where AI does not just advise but executes.
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The Browser as the Next AI Battleground
Anthropic’s announcement underscores how quickly the web browser has emerged as a high-stakes battleground for AI labs. Perplexity, a rising competitor, recently launched Comet, a full AI-powered browser that integrates an agent capable of automating browsing tasks. OpenAI is also reported to be developing an AI-native browser, expected to carry similarities to Comet’s approach, while Google has already woven Gemini integrations into Chrome in recent months.
The timing is crucial because Google’s dominant position in the browser market is under immediate threat from a looming U.S. antitrust decision. A federal judge has hinted that the case may culminate in a forced divestiture of Chrome—a move that could completely reshape the competitive landscape. Already, Perplexity has floated an unsolicited $34.5 billion offer for Chrome, and OpenAI’s Sam Altman has publicly indicated his interest in acquiring the browser if it were put on the market. If Chrome were spun off, control of the world’s most widely used browser could fall to one of the very AI labs now racing to define its future.
Safety Risks in Agentic Browsing
Anthropic’s announcement was not just about capability but also caution. The company stressed that giving AI agents browser-level control carries new safety risks. Just last week, Brave’s security team highlighted that Comet’s browser agent was susceptible to indirect prompt-injection attacks—a form of exploit where hidden instructions on a webpage trick the AI into carrying out malicious tasks.
Perplexity has since patched the vulnerability, according to its head of communications, Jesse Dwyer. But the incident highlights why Anthropic is framing its Chrome integration as a “research preview” aimed at identifying and neutralizing such novel risks before wider release.
To that end, Anthropic disclosed that it has already rolled out layered defenses against prompt injections. Internal testing shows that these interventions cut the success rate of such attacks nearly in half, from 23.6% to 11.2%.
Additional safeguards include restricting Claude’s agent from accessing certain categories of websites—such as financial services, adult content, and piracy hubs—by default. Users also retain granular control over permissions, with Claude explicitly required to ask before performing high-risk actions like publishing online, making purchases, or sharing personal data.
The Road to Agentic AI
Claude for Chrome is not Anthropic’s first venture into agentic AI. In October 2024, the company launched a desktop-focused agent capable of controlling a PC. However, those early attempts were marred by sluggish performance and inconsistent reliability.
Since then, the field has progressed rapidly. TechCrunch did a test of newer entrants, such as Perplexity’s Comet and OpenAI’s experimental ChatGPT Agent, which suggests that browser-based agents are now reasonably effective at offloading simple, repetitive tasks. Complex, multi-step workflows, however, continue to challenge current models.
The iterative leap from chatbots that only answer questions to autonomous systems capable of navigating the web on a user’s behalf represents both the promise and peril of agentic AI. It hints at a future where browsing itself could become less about clicking and typing, and more about delegating.
A Shifting Browser Economy
The broader context is that the web browser has remained one of the most valuable gateways to user activity since its inception. Whoever controls the browsing experience controls not only access to information but also the point of transaction for ads, commerce, and digital services. For decades, Google has leveraged Chrome to anchor its dominance in search and online advertising.
Now, AI labs see the browser as a natural arena to extend their reach. Companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Perplexity can move closer to being ever-present copilots in users’ digital lives by integrating AI agents directly into the browsing layer. The outcome of Google’s antitrust battle may accelerate this transition dramatically.
Anthropic’s careful rollout of Claude for Chrome highlights a two-sided race: one for capability and one for trust. On one hand, the competition is about which AI lab can build the most seamless, powerful, and reliable browsing agent. On the other hand, it is about demonstrating security and safety in a domain where the risks of abuse—from fraud to surveillance—are high.
As Anthropic refines Claude’s browser presence and rivals push forward their own AI-integrated browsing visions, the sector edges closer to a tipping point. If browsers truly become intelligent, action-taking agents, they will not only change how people interact with the web but also who ultimately governs access to it.