Opera Now Ships Local AI in Its Browser — WebAI Means Extensions Without the API Bill
Opera announced on October 27, 2026 that it is now shipping local AI models directly in its browsers. The first capabilities are live as an early preview in Opera One, with Opera GX and Opera Neon to follow. Here's the part that matters if you build things for the web: the headline capability is WebAI, a proposed web standard backed by companies including Google and Microsoft, that lets websites…
On October 27, 2026, Opera announced that it will ship local AI models directly within its browsers. This means that websites and browser extensions can now use AI models hosted through the browser itself, without needing an API key or paying per request. The feature, called WebAI, is part of a proposed web standard backed by companies such as Google and Microsoft.
Krystian Kolondra, Opera's EVP of Browsers and AI, explained that many tasks that people want from AI do not require a data center, as laptops can already perform these tasks locally, without sending data anywhere.
WebAI is currently an opt-in early preview in Opera One, available on 64-bit Windows PCs (Intel or AMD) and Macs with Apple silicon. At launch, users can use Google's Gemma models and, on Macs, Apple's on-device foundation model. WebAI enables features like text generation, content classification, and understanding the relationships between pieces of information directly in the browser.
While it is not Opera's first step in integrating local AI models, this launch marks a significant move from experimental work to a product. Example extensions showcase what's possible, such as turning an article into moving art. However, the preview status means the API surface and model support will change, and the feature is currently only available in Opera One.
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