ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Opera releases an important AI feature.
- Local AI is now built right into web browsers.
- There is no need to configure or install the likes of Ollama.
Opera just made a bold choice: thanks to the newly proposed WebAI web standard, the company will soon ship local AI models with its browser. By doing so, Opera’s AI ensures that your requests and/or data remain on your machine.
As well: How Opera’s new Air Browser helped me stay calm and keep browsing
According to Opera, because this new feature uses open weighted AI models, anyone can build on these models without running expensive AI infrastructure or paying for each request. That means more innovation for the Opera browser.
This is a bigger deal than you think.
Most browsers include AI that depends on the cloud for responses; A user’s data is not limited to the local machine and can be used by third-party organizations to train LLMs or even build profiles.
Opera aims to resist this trend by relying on local AI, made possible by open-weight models that are getting smaller and more capable, while the hardware continues to become more powerful.
“A lot of what people want from AI doesn’t require a data center. Your laptop can already do it without sending your data anywhere,” said Krystian Kolondra, EVP Browser and AI at Opera. “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.”
What is WebAI?
WebAI is a newly proposed web standard (supported by companies such as Google and Microsoft) that allows websites and extensions to use browser-hosted AI. Opera’s implementation of WebAI is model agnostic and built around open weight models, so users can choose models from Google and Apple.
Also: Opera detects and blocks malicious clipboard content
WebAI is also opt-in; nothing is downloaded until the user does so. Developers can view extensions that use WebUI from WebAI: Local AI for the Web, now in Opera.
Long time fan of Opera and local AI
I have been a fan of the Opera browser for a long time – it has served as the default for the last five years on Linux, MacOS and Android.
I’ve seen opera features come and go, but the good ones always stick around. Opera was one of the first browsers to integrate AI into the UI, making it very easy (and free) to use. The longer I use AI, the more one particular topic has become my calling card – local AI.
I am a champion of local AI, and this is the hill I die on.
The problem so far is that local AI with browsers isn’t always easy. Firefox has made it possible with Smart Window, but it is not set up to use local AI by default. (You must choose a custom provider and install Ollama and run it on your machine.)
Also: Firefox is the browser to beat right now when using AI
Opera is ready to make this reality even easier.
To try the local first version of Opera, do the following:
- Download or update Opera One
- Go to Settings > Opera AI and enable Enable Web AI API.
- Install an extension and open it from your Extensions menu.
According to Opera, WebAI is an early preview, available on Windows PC (64-bit, Intel / AMD) and Macs with Apple silicon. It is not available on Intel-based Macs, Linux or Windows on Arm.