Opera introduced an early preview of WebAI on October 27, giving websites and extensions access to AI models running on the user’s computer. The preview spans Opera One, Opera GX and Opera Neon.
Local inference, with an opt-in
Opera’s implementation supports compatible local models, including open-weight options. Its Prompt, Decision and Semantic Embeddings APIs provide building blocks for text generation, classification and content relationships.
The feature is opt-in, and model downloads begin only after it is enabled. Processing locally can avoid sending the content used for inference to a cloud AI provider. That does not establish that every website or extension keeps all other activity local.
Hardware limits remain
The preview supports 64-bit Intel/AMD Windows PCs and Macs with Apple silicon. Intel Macs, Linux and Windows on Arm are excluded. Response speed depends on the computer’s processing resources.
Opera’s six demonstration extensions are experimental examples, rather than built-in browser features. The announcement is an early implementation of proposed web AI capabilities, not evidence of universal browser interoperability.
Source
Opera: WebAI—local AI for the web (October 27)
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