Norwegian browser developer Opera has announced the general availability of its AI assistant Aria AI for Opera Mini users on Android. It will be available to owners of inexpensive devices and subscribers with low-traffic plans.
Image source: opera.com
Aria AI will help users find out the latest news and other information on various topics, image generation is supported. To get answers to user queries, Opera engineers connected AI models from OpenAI and Google. The Opera Mini browser debuted in 2005 — it helps users save data when surfing the web. This principle will not be violated even with the appearance of an AI assistant in the application, the developers assure.
Over the years, the company has struck deals with several telecommunications companies in Africa that offer free traffic to Opera Mini users. Last year, Opera was forced to shut down the program in Kenya after local authorities restricted the display of ads in the browser interface.
Opera Mini has now been downloaded more than 1 billion times, with more than 100 million users worldwide. Since the beginning of this year alone, Opera Mini has been downloaded 7.1 million times, according to statistics from analytics company Appfigures. In addition to the AI assistant, Opera developers are experimenting with other AI-based features, including managing tabs using natural speech commands and launching agents that perform operations offline.