AI browsers are here and already being hacked

AI BROWSER

The web’s new smart assistants are learning fast and leaking faster.

When Comet, Atlas, and other AI browsers launched this year, they promised a new way to use the internet.

One that reads for you, summarizes for you, even thinks for you.

It sounded like progress.

Then hackers showed up.

AI browsers are more than search engines.

They remember what you read, track your interests, and generate personalized summaries across sites.

The goal is frictionless browsing but friction is often what keeps us safe.

In October, Comet confirmed a breach exposing user data, chat logs, and even “memory” files.

The contextual data that helps the AI tailor responses.

Atlas soon admitted to a smaller plugin-related leak.

The same features that make AI browsers powerful (persistent memory, context sharing, and automation), also make them uniquely vulnerable.

Once the AI knows you, it really knows you.

This isn’t just about one hack.

It’s about a shift in what a browser even is.

AI browsers don’t just show you the web; they interpret it.

They’re also data collectors, constantly syncing between devices and cloud systems.

Each integration creates another attack surface.

Security experts have long warned: convenience always comes before safety until something breaks.

Every wave of innovation has its echo of regret.

The AI browser promises intimacy with your own data but intimacy without privacy is exposure.

The question isn’t whether these tools will get smarter. It’s whether we’ll stay cautious enough to keep up.

We asked browsers to understand us. We forgot to ask who else might be listening.