Opera introduces WebAI standard for local AI in its browser

Opera has introduced WebAI, a new web standard that lets users run AI models directly in its browser without relying on the cloud. The company is offering the new AI features as an early preview in its flagship Opera One browser, with Opera GX and Opera Neon set to follow. Users must choose to opt into the feature.

What WebAI supports

WebAI is designed to work with a variety of AI models and is not tied to any particular model, according to Opera. The company names Google's Gemma, an open-weight model first introduced two years ago, as one example. On Macs, WebAI also supports Apple's on-device foundation model. Opera says the standard is built to support a wide range of open-weight AI systems and grew out of earlier work to bring locally run models into its browsers.

WebAI also allows anyone to generate text, classify content, and understand how pieces of information relate, all directly in the browser.

Privacy and trade-offs

Opera says open-weight models are typically free to download and use, and their publicly available weights give developers more freedom to customize how they work. Although unlike fully open-source software, open-weight models still come with some restrictions. The company points to privacy as another advantage: users can use AI features without sending personal information to a company's servers or paying for a cloud-based AI subscription. "Developers can add AI features without running AI infrastructure or paying for every request," the company said in its announcement. "Users don't need AI subscriptions, the information the local AI handles stays on their own device, and they stay in control of the AI on their computer."

Privacy has become a growing concern as AI assistants become more powerful and gain access to personal information, Opera notes. Users often surrender vast amounts of personal information with AI chatbots, sometimes without a clear understanding of how that data is stored or used. Locally run models offer an alternative because processing happens on the user's own device, not on a company's cloud server. That does not eliminate every privacy risk, but it does give users a bit more control. Opera has made digital privacy one of its primary selling points over the years.

There are trade-offs, however. Running AI models locally puts more demand on a user's computer, which can affect performance. Opera notes that model performance will depend on the device's hardware.

Availability

Opera is making the new AI features available as an early preview in Opera One. Opera GX, its browser built for gamers and streamers, and Opera Neon, its browser that uses AI agents to perform tasks, will soon get the same treatment. Users have to choose to opt into the feature.

Sources: TechCrunch