Opera browser’s new ‘Aria’ AI chatbot can write custom bios and give tips on how to launch a streaming career

The Opera and Opera GX browsers are getting an AI chatbot called ‘Aria’ that could answer questions, write code, and even give you all the details you need about the latest updates to popular games. The software is aimed at largely at gamers, allowing them to get gaming news and tips directly within their browser. It comes with Opera’s proprietary Composer architecture that is underscored by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, but Opera states that the technology can be used to connect with other AI models to expand Aria’s functionality in the future.

Aria is said to have the capability to answer a variety of queries, including “Has Starfield finally launched yet?” or “How can I kick off my streaming career?.” As if that’s not enough, gamers can also ask the AI to write them a custom character bio or give them details about the latest seasonal updates in their favorite game. Starting today, the new AI experience is available in more than 180 countries in both the flagship Opera browser and the gaming-focused Opera GX on Windows and MacOS, as well as the main Opera app on Android and iOS.

Opera is highlighting the fact that Aria is a “user-controlled experience,” meaning you’ll have to opt in to use it. That’s a good thing, as users won’t be forced to use it if they can’t be bothered about yet another AI chatbot claiming to do something that could mostly be accomplished with a simple Google search. On the other hand, folks who want to use Aria can do so by simply enabling ‘Early Bird’ in Opera settings and then switching on the ‘Aria Extension’ and ‘Aria Command Line’ options. Finally, they will have to open the chatbot in the browser’s sidebar and then log into their Opera account to get started.

In addition to the AI chatbot, Opera GX is also getting a brand new command line that allows them to use the ‘ctrl+’ keyboard shortcut in Windows or ‘cmd+’ in Mac to display an overlay on their browser to interact with Aria. The new AI is also integrated with Opera’s AI Prompts feature that was introduced earlier this year.