Sidebar and cross-tab work
OpenAI has refreshed ChatGPT's Chrome extension. It now opens as a sidebar in the browser, letting users reach ChatGPT without leaving the page. Once the necessary permissions are granted, the assistant can pull information from multiple open tabs to produce answers.
Acting on sites through ChatGPT Work
More advanced capabilities come through ChatGPT Work. ChatGPT can control tabs on the user's behalf to send messages, fill out forms and download files, and it can help organize and group a pile of open tabs. These features depend on the account's access level.
Why now?
The timing is notable: Google is working to make Gemini a more central part of Chrome. OpenAI, meanwhile, wants Chrome users to keep relying on ChatGPT inside the browser. That sets up direct competition for users' attention.
Practical use and limits
The integration's biggest strength is that it brings a familiar experience into the browser. It is handy for comparing coverage across several articles about the same announcement or for examining product pages from different retailers together. Still, ChatGPT will not always interpret every detail correctly; prices and product details deserve verification, and accuracy can suffer when a page has unusual formatting or key information is hidden behind interactive elements.
