Opera web browser is about to integrate Google Gemini AI

In a press release issued today, Opera has officially confirmed that it will be collaborating with Google, specifically Google Cloud, to deploy Gemini AI models as part of its Aria AI browser assistant service that the company is investing heavily in. Opera’s Aria uses multiple LLMs instead of just one. With the successful signing of the partnership agreement with Google, Opera now has access to the tools developed for Gemini.

Aria is powered entirely by artificial intelligence algorithms and is designed to enhance the browsing experience for Opera users. Aria is built on Opera’s innovative “Composer” architecture, which provides a variety of intelligent functions for users. Whether you’re performing a web search, composing a document, asking for code, or looking for product information, Aria can provide live support in the form of a conversational interface, allowing seamless interaction with AI capabilities.

With Gemini AI, the main features being touted will be Image Generation and Voice Output. These features, included in the latest AI Feature Drop for Opera One Developer, use the Imagen 2 model on Vertex AI and responses can be read out in a conversational-like fashion thanks to Google's text-to-speech model.

Opera has recently added a slew of notable AI features to its browser, even allowing LLM to be downloaded and run locally on your computer, giving you access to over 150 models from over 50 platforms, including Meta's Llama and Google's Gemma.

This is the main difference between Opera and other browsers that the company is currently pursuing since Opera One launched in June 2023. This is clearly a change from the traditional Opera web browser that we are used to seeing. The main highlights include the modular design, ab Islands to group open tabs, and especially the aforementioned Aria AI virtual assistant.

While Opera may not have as much market share as some of the other major browsers, it's great to see the company trying to keep up with its competitors, especially in the nascent but competitive space of general AI.