Browser maker Opera introduced WebAI, a new web standard designed to allow users to run artificial intelligence models directly within the browser without requiring cloud reliance. The standard is built to support a wide range of open-weight AI systems and is not tied to any specific model. Opera cited Google’s Gemma, an open-weight model Google introduced two years prior, as one example, and noted that WebAI also supports Apple’s on-device foundation model on Macs.
Opera is making the new AI features available in an early preview within its Opera One browser, with plans to extend the functionality to Opera GX and Opera Neon soon, though users must opt into the feature. The company stated that open-weight models offer benefits such as being free to download and use, as their underlying model weights are publicly available for developer customization. A key advantage highlighted by Opera is enhanced privacy, as users can access AI features without sending personal information to company servers or incurring cloud-based subscription fees.
Regarding this benefit, the company stated, “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.” WebAI enables users to perform functions such as generating text, classifying content, and understanding information relationships directly in the browser. Opera noted that while local processing offers greater user control over data compared to cloud services, running AI models locally places increased demand on the user’s computer hardware, which can affect performance.
