Opera adds its Aria AI assistant to Opera Mini browser

Norway-based browser company Opera said today that it is making its AI assistant Aria available to Opera Mini users on Android. This move will help users with low-end devices and data constraints access better AI features.

Aria AI can help users get the latest news and information on different topics, learn more about various subjects, and generate images. Opera uses a mix of models from OpenAI and Google to get relevant answers. 

“AI is rapidly becoming an integral part of the daily internet experience – bringing Aria to Opera Mini is a natural addition to our most-downloaded browser. With the addition of our built-in AI, Aria, we’re excited to explore how AI can further enhance the feature set our users rely on every day,” Jørgen Arnesen, EVP Mobile at Opera, said in a statement. 

Opera Mini, which launched in 2005, helps users save on data while browsing. The company’s claim is that even with the launch of the new AI assistant, it can help in saving data without adding to the app’s size. 

Over the years, the company has struck up partnerships with local telcos in Africa to offer free data to Opera Mini customers. Last year, the company had to shut its free data program in Kenya after authorities issued a directive curbing ads on bookmark tiles interface on browsers.

The company said that Opera Mini has over a billion downloads on Android and more than 100 million users worldwide. According to data from app analytics firm Appfigures, Opera Mini has clocked 7.1 million downloads this year worldwide.

Apart from launching an AI assistant across all its pages, Opera has been experimenting with AI features, such as a way to control tabs through natural language prompts and an operator that helps you complete tasks autonomously.