Opera enables running AI models locally in the browser

Opera has launched Web AI, a new standard that lets users run AI models locally in the browser instead of relying on cloud services. The idea is that people no longer have to pay for costly cloud-based AI services or subscriptions.

In a statement quoted by TechCrunch, Opera said users need no AI subscriptions, that the information the local AI handles stays on their own device, and that users keep control of the AI on their own computer.

Web AI is built to support AI models from different companies, including Google and Apple. Opera does not name specific models in the account available here.

Opera One is the first browser to support the standard. Support is due to follow soon in Opera GX and Opera Neon, two other browsers from the company.

The main significance lies in privacy and cost. Because the models run on the user's own machine, data does not have to be sent to an external service, and the need for paid AI plans is reduced. The standard's support for models from several vendors also suggests it is meant as a common approach rather than a single-model feature. The account gives no further technical details, such as hardware requirements, a list of supported models, or a release timeline for the other Opera browsers beyond "soon".