Techie Tonic: How AI could transform the way we use the internet

It was an exciting period, since the dawn of the modern internet, the web browser has reigned as its primary portal. What began in the 1990s with trailblazers like Netscape evolved into an enduring ecosystem shaped by Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge. Yet despite revolutions in computing, connectivity, and digital experiences, the essence of web navigation has scarcely changed, and we could see users seek information, open websites, and chart their course from page to page, one click at a time.

Do you know that Artificial intelligence is poised to change that model fundamentally?

The browser of the future may no longer simply display websites. Instead, it could become an intelligent assistant capable of understanding what users want and carrying out complex tasks across the internet. Wow!

Let us take a classic example, in today’s reality, booking a flight might require visiting several websites, comparing prices, checking schedules, entering personal information and completing a payment. In an AI-powered browser, a user could simply say, “Find me the best flight to Tokyo next Friday and prepare the booking.” An AI agent could research the options, compare prices and schedules, fill out forms and then ask the user for approval before making the purchase.

This represents a shift from browsing pages to completing tasks.

Do you know that the change could also transform the role of search engines?

For decades, search has largely meant receiving a list of links and deciding which ones to visit. AI can instead understand a question, synthesize information from multiple sources and present a useful answer.

More importantly, it can potentially take action.

Another example, a user looking for a new apartment, for example, might ask an AI browser to find properties within a particular budget, close to work and with certain amenities. Rather than manually opening dozens of listings, the agent could perform the research and return a shortlist.

Websites themselves may consequently become less important as destinations and more important as services that AI agents interact with. The internet could increasingly become a network of capabilities that intelligent software can access on behalf of users.

This emerging model is often described as the agentic web. Instead of merely answering questions, AI agents can navigate websites, click buttons, complete forms, organize information and potentially execute transactions.

However, this future raises significant challenges as well.

Trust and security will become critical. Giving an AI permission to access email, banking services, shopping accounts or business applications creates enormous opportunities, but also enormous risks. Users will need clear controls over what an AI can access, what it can do independently and when it must request approval.

Privacy will be another major concern. A highly personalized browser could potentially understand a user's interests, habits, purchases, work and online behaviour in unprecedented detail. Organisations controlling these AI systems could therefore gain enormous influence over how people interact with the internet.

There is also a question of competition. Technology companies are increasingly competing to control the interface between people and digital information. The browser may become a strategic battleground involving major technology companies and emerging AI firms.

Yet traditional browsing is unlikely to disappear completely. People will still want to explore websites themselves, read original sources, discover unexpected information and remain in control of their online experience.

The likely future is therefore not a browser without humans, but a browser that works alongside them.

The address bar may gradually become less important than an instruction box. Instead of asking, “Where do I go?”, users will increasingly ask, “What do I want to accomplish?”

That could mark one of the biggest changes in the history of the web.

The browser began as a tool for viewing the internet. In the AI era, it could evolve into a tool for understanding, navigating and acting on the internet.

Stay tuned for more insightful discussion on this particular topic with our community experts…