Can Atlassian Build the AI Browser Enterprises Actually Need?

AI agents are breaking free of the cloud and into the browser, a shift that could turn the workplace’s most familiar tool into a critical bridge between employees and bots in the era of the hybrid workforce. To stake its claim in this shift, Atlassian has acquired The Browser Company, the startup behind the AI-powered browser Dia, aiming to create a browser designed to work, act, and get things done. The question now: will enterprises—and knowledge workers—actually use it?

“Today’s browsers weren’t built for work. They were built for browsing—reading the news, watching videos, looking up recipes,” Mike Cannon-Brookes, Atlassian’s chief executive, wrote in a blog post. “And sure, you may do some of those things in your browser during the workday, but most of those tabs represent a task that needs to get done…Before you know it, it’s hard to see through the forest of tabs.”

He goes on to explain that “your current browser isn’t designed to help you move any of that work forward. It was designed before the explosion of SaaS apps, and well before the current AI revolution. It’s a bystander in your workflow, treating every tab the same, with no awareness of your work context, no understanding of your priorities, and no help connecting the dots between your tools.”

Started by Josh Miller and Hursh Agrawal, the co-founders of social media startup Branch, The Browser Company set out to create a better way to navigate the web, offering an alternative to Google Chrome. Its inaugural product was Arc, which initially won praise for its beauty, performance, and entertainment value. However, The Browser Company eventually discontinued it in favor of Dia, its AI-first web browser. Miller cited disappointing metrics as the reason—it more resembled a “highly specialized professional tool than a mass-market consumer product” that The Browser Company had aimed for Arc to be.

Now, after paying $610 million for the startup, Atlassian wants to reimagine the work browser. It’s an interesting choice, as it’s likely that the browsers employees use at the office are the same ones they use at home and for personal use. It will also have to overcome the brand recognition of Microsoft and Google to convince people to abandon Edge and Chrome. But if Cannon-Brookes is correct, browser innovation may have stagnated, and there’s an opportunity to create something that better integrates SaaS apps and AI.

Like many software providers, Atlassian sees the value in the browser: It’s the central point from which its users interact with its products like Jira, Confluence, Trello, and Loom. However, the company’s CEO doesn’t want to build an AI-powered, productivity-centric browser to hawk his apps. As he tells CNBC, “it’s really about taking Arc’s SaaS application experience and power user features, and Dia’s AI and elegance and speed and sort of svelte nature, and Atlassian’s enterprise know-how, and working out how to put all that together into Dia, or into the AI part of the browser.”

If Atlassian’s vision becomes a reality, workers could have a dedicated browser, infused with AI, focused on getting work done. It may result in less time spent context switching, having to move between countless tabs. Instead, all of their work-related applications would be tied together.

Would this lock employees into a single browser on company-issued machines? Unlikely, since others could still be installed, subject to IT policies. The goal is for Atlassian’s Dia to become the central workspace, a tool for coordinating tasks and speeding up daily work. Ultimately, it’s feasible that the browser will feature Atlassian’s Rovo AI platform, a knowledge discovery tool introduced in 2024. With it, workers can tap into an enterprise-grade search app that consolidates information from an organization into a single location; converse with an AI agent to help with campaigns, provide feedback, or resolve issues; and liaise with a team of specialized bots trained to assist with time-consuming tasks and other workload needs.

The Dia browser could also serve as a conduit from which workers can manage the litany of bots assisting them with their work. It’s the dashboard made for hybrid teams…hopefully.

That said, much will depend on how IT teams evaluate Atlassian’s initiative. Beyond performance, the bigger question is security: Does a dedicated, AI-powered browser give administrators more control, or does it introduce new risks? For enterprises already wary of exposing sensitive data to generative AI tools, Atlassian will need to prove that Dia not only safeguards information but also offers the kind of oversight and compliance features that reassure corporate IT.

In addition, how will employees react to being asked to use Dia? A dedicated workplace browser could raise concerns about surveillance, data collection, or even the extent to which AI is permitted to monitor day-to-day activity. What happens if a worker inadvertently logs into their personal email account on this browser when they should have opened a different browser entirely?

Atlassian isn’t the first to develop a workplace browser. Microsoft has a secure enterprise browser called Edge for Business. Furthermore, the Windows maker has announced steps to enable third-party developers to integrate AI features into their web apps that would be powered by models directly in its browser. It has also established the NLWeb Project, an open effort to transform ordinary web pages into conversational agents. Google also has a similar browser offering to Microsoft, called Chrome Enterprise.

It’s clear a new kind of browser is emerging, one built for the AI era. AI-powered browsers mark a fundamental shift in how we use the web and workplace tools, promising greater efficiency, streamlined workflows, and personalized assistance. Yet the transition also raises thorny questions about privacy, security, and how much control workers will retain over their digital environments. The devil is certainly in the details. It’s worth watching whether Atlassian’s acquisition of The Browser Company can turn Dia into the browser enterprises actually want—and whether its success sparks similar innovations across the industry. The challenge now is whether the company can convince everyone that its vision is worth adopting.

Featured Image: Credit: Atlassian