ChatGPT can now work from the browser tabs you already have open
A Chrome extension upgrade lets ChatGPT compare vendors, fill in forms and draft emails from your open tabs, and you can tell it to stop before it submits.
What happened
The Verge reports that ChatGPT's Google Chrome extension (a small add-on for the Chrome web browser) has been upgraded so it can use the tabs you already have open. OpenAI says that once the extension is installed, ChatGPT can view your tabs when you tag Chrome in its web or desktop app.
In OpenAI's demo video, someone asks ChatGPT to compare three open tabs of sofas they're considering. The outlet lists several sample requests from OpenAI, including putting the vendors in your tabs into a comparison sheet with pricing, key features and source links. Another asks ChatGPT to fill out a registration form and "stop before submitting."
The report adds that ChatGPT Work can also "control" your Chrome tabs for tasks like sending messages, filling out forms or downloading files. It can organize and group open tabs too. The outlet compares this to Google's Gemini-powered "auto browse" feature.
Why it matters
Many owners may still do this kind of work by hand. That might mean opening five supplier sites, copying prices into a spreadsheet, then retyping the same details into a form.
An assistant that reads the pages you've already opened could turn that into one sentence. The catch is that something that can click, fill and send can also make a mistake faster than you can catch it.
So decide ahead of time what it may do on its own and what needs your eyes first.
What it means for your business
- Restaurants: Open your produce or packaging suppliers in separate tabs and ask for a side-by-side of prices, minimum orders and delivery days.
- Trades and contractors: Have it compare material quotes or subcontractor pages, then draft a reply to the best fit. Read the draft before anything goes out.
- Retail and agencies: Use it to pull vendor or tool details into a comparison sheet with source links, so you can check the numbers yourself.
- Clinics: Pre-filling routine forms could save time, but be careful with anything containing patient information. Decide what's off-limits before you try it.
One thing to try this week
Pick one low-stakes comparison you'd do anyway, like three suppliers for a single item. Open them in separate tabs, install the extension, and ask ChatGPT to build a comparison table with prices and links.
If you try a form, add the same safety phrase OpenAI uses in its example: ask it to stop before submitting. Then review what it filled in and press the button yourself.
After a week, you'll know which jobs you trust it with and which you want to keep checking.