Opera is a browser that has been around since 1996 and that has evolved consistently over the years to meet user needs. It has been available for Linux for a long time (except the Opera GX edition).
Even though other browsers like Chrome and Firefox are popular among internet netizens, Opera has been able to carve out its place in this ever-evolving market with its revamped offering, Opera One, that replaced the older browser.
While they offered sidebar access to ChatGPT and ChatSonic when they first launched it, they replaced it with the Aria Browser AI feature for all platforms, including Linux.
It gives users access to an AI-powered chatbot that can answer questions, generate text-based content, plan trips, and whatnot. And, with a recent press release, it appears that Aria is receiving a major upgrade.
So, let's check it out 😀
Opera One Gets a Buff: What to Expect?
Opera, in collaboration with Google, has introduced a new feature that allows users to generate images using prompts. It uses the Imagen 2 model on Vertex AI to achieve such functionality, which is Google's most advanced text-to-image technology.
As you can see above, I ran a prompt on my Linux system to generate a cat image on vacation. I got a very cool-looking cat vacationing at a beach, wearing sunglasses, a chique hat, and even a floral shirt!
I liked it 😺
Alongside that, Opera has also introduced a voice output feature that will take advantage of Google's text-to-audio model to speak out responses in a “conversational-like” manner.
During the reveal, EVP of Partnerships at Opera, Per Wetterdal, added that:
Our companies have been cooperating for more than 20 years. We are excited to be announcing the deepening of this collaboration into the field of generative AI to further power our suite of browser AI services.
All of the above sounds great and all. But one needs to sign up for an account on Opera to use the AI features. Of course, you can use email alias tools to create an account without sharing your real email ID.
I would have preferred if it were the other way around, but it is what it is.
Want to Check it Out?
At the time of writing, only Opera One Developer version features the image generation capabilities. But I am sure that the stable builds will feature this sooner rather than later.
If you can't wait, download the latest Opera Developer build (desktop only) from the official website.
After you get it installed, just click on the Aria Browser AI logo on the sidebar to get started.
💬 Did you see this coming? Will you switch to Opera on Linux for this feature? Let me know below!
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