Analyst firm Gartner warned that AI-powered web browsers pose serious security risks and advised most organisations to block them until they develop proper safeguards. In a new advisory titled “Cybersecurity Must Block AI Browsers for Now,” the firm argued that these browsers could expose sensitive data, cause automated mistakes, and allow attackers to manipulate them, according to a report by The Register.
According to the advisory, AI browsers, such as Perplexity’s Comet and OpenAI’s ChatGPT Atlas, combine an AI sidebar with autonomous “agentic” capabilities. These features allow a browser to summarise or translate web pages, and in some cases, automatically perform tasks like filling forms, navigating websites, or making purchases while logged into private accounts.
Gartner analysts Dennis Xu, Evgeny Mirolyubov, and John Watts warned in the report that “prioritise user experience over security.”
AI Back-End Systems May Receive Sensitive Data
The advisory says that AI sidebars routinely send active browser content, such as open tabs, page data, and browsing history, to cloud-based AI systems operated by browser developers. This, Gartner notes, can result in unintentional exposure of corporate information if security settings are not configured properly.
The document explains that organisations can theoretically reduce the risk by evaluating how securely each AI service handles user data. Even when organisations clear an AI browser’s back-end for use, the analysts advise that employees should assume the browser could transmit anything displayed on their screen to an external AI system.
AI Browsers Could Perform Unsafe or Incorrect Actions
A larger concern, according to Gartner, is the possibility of autonomous browser actions going wrong. The report flags multiple risks:
- AI agents may be tricked through indirect prompt injections, causing them to take harmful actions.
- Faulty reasoning could lead the browser to fill forms incorrectly, navigate to unsafe pages, or share credentials by mistake.
- Attackers might deceive an AI agent into visiting phishing websites.
The analysts also said employees could misuse AI browsers to avoid completing required tasks, adding that some workers might instruct the browser to finish mandatory cybersecurity training on their behalf.
The report imagines that autonomous systems inside corporate environments might even make procurement errors. It warns that “A form could be filled out with incorrect information, a wrong office supply item might be ordered… or a wrong flight might be booked.”
Blocking Recommended Unless Strong Controls Exist
While Gartner lists some partial protections, such as disabling email access for AI agents, restricting what they can store, and applying strict settings, the advisory concludes that these steps may not be enough.
The analysts recommend that organisations block AI browsers unless they complete a detailed…
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