Arc Browser's new AI-powered features can browse web for you
The Arc Browser team recently unveiled a new iPhone app, Arc Search, which employs AI to generate a personalized and automated webpage experience by gathering data from various online sources. This was part of The Browser Company's "Act 2 of Arc," an initiative aimed at merging the functions of a browser, search engine, and website. The company now intends to roll out several major features to Arc Search in the coming weeks to enhance the internet experience for users.
Instant Links: To quickly access top search results
One innovative feature in Arc Search is Instant Links, enabling users to search and instantly open the top result by pressing shift and enter. While not foolproof, it can be useful in certain situations, like searching for "True Detective season 4 trailer" and pressing shift + enter to automatically play the YouTube trailer in a new tab. Users can also obtain multiple results with this tool, such as requesting various soup recipes or weather forecasts.
Live Folders: A personalized RSS feed
Another forthcoming feature is Live Folders, which will compile updates from websites users want to follow, similar to an RSS feed. The goal is to predict which sites a user will visit and bring updated results into that folder. For example, when tagged in GitHub items, a tab with the new item would be added to the folder. The Live Folders feature (beta) should be available starting February 15. Developers must enable their sites to be updated via Live Folders.
Collapsing browser, search engine, and site into one experience
Finally, Arc Explore, the most ambitious feature, utilizes LLMs (Large Language Models) to merge the browser, search engine, and site into a single experience. One example provided by the company involved making a restaurant reservation, where Arc Explore returned details on each location, along with direct links to pages for booking a table for two at the desired time. Another demo demonstrated how Arc Explore can supply ingredient lists, recipe steps, and related videos for a specific soup.
Breaking old browsing habits with Arc's AI-powered features
The Browser Company aims to alter users' browsing habits with the AI-powered features. However, breaking old habits is challenging, and these tools must perform well upon launch to replace traditional search engines like Google. Arc's goal is to revolutionize these habits and create a superior browsing experience. While not all experiments will succeed and some may evolve from their initial concepts, the company's efforts to enhance user interaction with the internet are worth monitoring as they progress.
