Opera has announced an expansion of its partnership with Google to integrate the latest Gemini AI models across much of its browser lineup.
The expansion means the Gemini-powered side panel previously exclusive to Opera Neon is now freely available in the company's free-to-download Opera One and Opera GX browsers.
By interacting with the side panel's AI chatbot, users can get contextually relevant answers based on the current webpage and group of webpages, as well as videos. Opera says responses can include easy research, content summaries, and comparisons between different tabs.
In addition, Opera AI supports voice input and output, along with file analysis for multiple file types, including images and video.
The company says the engine has been rebuilt for speed, with 20% faster responses thanks to the use of a new architecture that adopts an agentic-approach from Opera Neon.
Opera also emphasizes that its privacy features ensure the user has full control over what context is shared with Opera AI and what is kept outside its awareness.
"AI is reshaping how people interact with the web, and the browser is the natural entry point for those experiences,” said Opera's EVP Commercial, Per Wetterdal. "Through our partnership with Google, we are able to offer users the experiences they really want through native search and AI features, for free, directly in their Opera One and Opera GX browsers while our most advanced users of the agentic Opera Neon browser are already getting access to Gemini 3 Pro."
Many users have been critical of AI's creep into browsers, but Opera argues that browsing is the next AI frontier. "Unlike a standalone chat interface, the browser has access to real-time context such as a user's open tabs, page content, and browsing flows," says the company's press release. "This enables more relevant and efficient assistance, supporting task completion directly within the browsing experience."
You can decide for yourself by visiting Opera's website, which includes download links for Opera Browser, Opera Air, Opera GX, and Opera Mini.
