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From Arc to Dia: The Browser Company reveals plans for a new AI web browser

An AI-powered insertion cursor. (Image source: The Browser Company/YouTube)
An AI-powered insertion cursor. (Image source: The Browser Company/YouTube)
The startup behind the Arc browser has teased its first AI-focused product and is now recruiting developers to build it. While the fate of Arc remains to be seen, it is apparent that The Browser Company has pivoted to developing its AI vision.

Arc – the Chromium-based browser with a few features that the more popular alternatives lack – is no longer the source of enthusiasm for Josh Miller, CEO of The Browser Company. The startup is now captivated by Dia, a more mainstream product that uses AI to reduce the complexity of browsing the web. Set to launch in early 2025, Dia is decidedly not Arc 2.0, but its replacement.

In a recent product reveal disguised as a recruiting video, Dia is presented via three prototype demos that tease possible features of its ‘computing environment’. One of these features exploits the age-old insertion cursor and turns it into an interactive AI tool that can generate text to help you “write the next line”, among other options. The personal insertion cursor is also capable of taking the entire browser window into context, and not just a text box. Following a prompt, it copies Amazon links from open tabs and inserts them into an email draft. 

Next, Josh Miller uses the address bar to search for a document using the sender and theme as the sole cues. Dia finds the exact Notion document and, upon request, emails it to someone via the preferred email client. These features incorporate the natural-language processing of LLMs, memory and self-driven action which should be native to the browser. 

The third prototype shows Dia automatically adding items from an email to an Amazon shopping cart – a fairly complex task to tackle with AI. In another demo, the browser follows a template to send emails individually to each crew member from a list containing their unique call times. In both cases, Miller hints at training the browser to perform those kinds of repetitive tasks.

Apparently, The Browser Company CEO is convinced AI features like these will transform the humble browser into a powerful operating system via the so-called computing environment. Understandably, Arc power users are not taking this so well. Yet if the latest improvements and bug fixes are anything to go by, Arc may continue to receive support, although new features are not likely. With Dia on the horizon, The Browser Company has effectively drunk the AI Kool-aid and there is no going back.


 

 

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2024 12 > From Arc to Dia: The Browser Company reveals plans for a new AI web browser
Sarfo Ashong-Listowell, 2024-12- 5 (Update: 2024-12- 5)