I bought lunch for a former LexisNexis Canada colleague the other week — he had referred me for a consulting position — and, both being geeks, we got talking about AI (of course!) and, more specifically, agentic browsers.
“An agentic browser is an AI-powered web browser that autonomously navigates the Internet, interprets tasks, and executes workflows on your behalf. Instead of you manually clicking links, reading pages, and filling forms, you simply state a high-level goal, and the AI handles the research and execution.” ~ Seraphic.
We discussed potential scenarios of how we might implement an agentic browser. I love food, so would ask it to look at my list of recipes for the week, and order the ingredients, within a set budget.
But … what it if went rogue? Kinda like the Jack Bauer of agentic browsers? Say I had a seafood dish on my list, with a weekly grocery budget of $200. The agentic browser might blow my whole budget on a tin of caviar, deciding for me that is my seafood wish-list.
Or, the agentic browser had watched me surf, noticed me messaging my friends and family back home, and the next thing I know, it’s booked me a return trip to England with funds I don’t have, or time off work I can’t take.
Now, I’m all for some level of automation. My Dyson fan very kindly regulates air flow. My air conditioning system thoughtfully keeps my place nice and cool during the summer. My dishwasher knows just the right amount of soap to use to clean that caviar (that I didn’t want, but ate anyway) off the plate. It’s all so easy and convenient.
But, as I’ve repeatedly mentioned to people over the years: I LOVE tech, but I don’t TRUST it. I’ve seen too many things go awry because a human being hasn’t put in enough checks and balances — or even worse, not backed up their work before the inevitable crash happens. And it will.
But that’s just me. Agentic browsers will be running people’s online lives sooner rather than later. So much so, that I gambled $25 and bought the domain name agenticbrowser.ca to maybe get something going around that. No idea what, yet. Keeping my mind open.
If anyone has their own thoughts on agentic browsers, I’d be keen to listen and learn. I’m here all week … try the fish. (Or caviar.)