Opera recently announced that it’s bringing “local” artificial intelligence directly into its browsers through WebAI, which is now in early preview across Opera One, Opera GX, and Opera Neon. Opera says that WebAI is entirely opt-in and lets users choose from multiple compatible local models.
That in mind, the feature allows users and developers to run AI models locally on their laptops, which reduces the need for external cloud servers, separate apps, or API keys, while ensuring sensitive data stays on the device. Krystian Kolondra, EVP Browsers and AI at Opera comments:
A lot of what people want from AI doesn’t need a data center. Your laptop can already do it, without sending your data anywhere… We first shipped local models to developers in 2024. Now we’re bringing them to everyone. More models and tools are coming, and you’ll always decide what runs on your machine.
For developers, WebAI on Opera supports Prompt, Decision, and Semantic Embeddings APIs, and Opera released six experimental extensions which include “Project Lens” for context-based article highlighting, “Got It?” for reading comprehension quizzes, “Questionable Intelligence” for chart-based data analysis, “Semantic Art” for turning text into moving visuals, “RecordIn Alchemy” for generating social media posts, and “C·I·A·O” featuring improvising ASCII cats.
The early preview is currently available on 64-bit Windows PCs with Intel or AMD processors and Macs with Apple silicon (excluding Intel-based Macs), Linux, and Windows on Arm. Users can test the feature by updating Opera One, enabling the WebAI API in settings, and installing the experimental extensions.
