Opera Launches Neon AI Browser To Compete In Agent-Based Web Exploration Era

JAKARTA - Opera on Tuesday 30 September launched Neon, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered browser capable of carrying out tasks and executing code on web pages. This launch adds to the heat of competition among technology companies to make web browsing more "agentic" or agent-based.

This move confirms that the race to turn browsers into productivity centers acting on behalf of users is not just showing search results. Earlier this year, Perplexity AI released the Comet browser, while The Browser Company, Arc's developer, launched Dia.

Opera stated that Neon can fill out a form, compare data between sites, or create a code directly within the browser. The "Neon Do" feature allows the software to navigate the page in the user's name without sending information to external cloud services.

The Norwegian company markets Neon as a subscription product aimed at advanced users. Initial access begins on Tuesday, with wider availability expected in the coming months.

Other features include "Tasks", which creates an independent workspace for AI to analyze multiple sources, and "Cards", a command template that can be reused to automate the recurrent workflow. Opera insists that all measures are carried out locally, giving users full control over when the AI model operates or is paused.

Opera's stocks recorded in the US have surged in the past three years, driven by investor's consistent financial performance and optimism for the company's push to AI-based products.

Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Oslo, Opera has more than 300 million active users on its desktop and mobile browsers. The company emphasizes Neon's privacy-first design, with device-based operations that can attract European users amid regulatory strict surveillance of data usage.