According to MacRumors, Opera has announced a major expansion of its partnership with Google to integrate the latest Gemini AI models across its browser lineup. The key move is making the Gemini-powered AI side panel, previously exclusive to the experimental Opera Neon browser, freely available in the mainstream Opera One and Opera GX browsers. Users can interact with a chatbot to get answers based on their current webpage, summarize content, and even compare information across different open tabs. Opera says the engine has been rebuilt for a 20% speed increase using a new “agentic” architecture. The company’s EVP Commercial, Per Wetterdal, stated that browsing is the natural entry point for AI experiences, and the partnership allows them to offer these native AI features for free while giving Opera Neon users access to the more advanced Gemini 3 Pro model.
The Browser AI Arms Race Heats Up
So here’s the thing: this isn’t just another chatbot add-on. By baking Gemini directly into the side panel of its flagship browsers, Opera is making a clear bet that AI isn’t a separate tool—it’s a core feature of the modern web interface. They’re essentially arguing that your browser, with its intimate knowledge of your tabs and browsing flow, is the perfect AI assistant. And they’re not wrong in theory.
But look, they’re also playing catch-up in a field that’s getting crowded fast. Microsoft has Copilot deeply integrated into Edge. Google is, of course, pushing its own Gemini experience in Chrome. Even smaller players are adding AI summarization and chat features. Opera’s differentiator? It’s betting on a tight, contextual, and free integration powered by one of the leading AI models. The promise of comparing tabs or summarizing a video without leaving your window is genuinely useful. Whether it’s 20% faster or not, the utility will make or break it.
Privacy And The “Agentic” Future
Opera is smart to emphasize user control over what context is shared with its AI. In an era of deep skepticism about data privacy, giving people a toggle is table stakes. But the more interesting tech jargon here is “agentic-approach.” Basically, this suggests the AI isn’t just waiting for your prompt; it’s designed to take more proactive steps based on the context it’s given. Think less “answer a question” and more “organize my research across these five tabs into a brief.” That’s the frontier they’re hinting at with Opera Neon.
Is this the future of browsing? For certain tasks, absolutely. Research, comparison shopping, digesting long articles—AI can supercharge those. But for many, a browser is still just a window to the web. The success of this push won’t be about the technology alone; it’ll be about whether Opera, or any company, can make it feel indispensable and not just a noisy gimmick. You can check out the integration for yourself by visiting the Opera website to download the browsers.
