The AI net browser Dia is drawing inspiration from its predecessor, Arc, an earlier experiment in modernizing the online searching expertise that hailed from the startup often called The Browser Firm. On Sunday, The Browser Firm founder Josh Miller confirmed that the brand new AI browser will carry “Arc’s biggest hits” to Dia, together with issues just like the sidebar mode, and mix that with AI-native options like reminiscence and brokers.
This rationalization means that Dia, which has since been acquired by Atlassian for $610 million, may have a bonus within the AI browser race, because it builds on the corporate’s earlier learnings from creating Arc.
The latter was initially launched in mid-2023 as a reinvention of the browser designed round the way in which individuals use the web as we speak. That included providing separate workspaces for work and private searching, help for pinned tabs, a Command Bar that labored like Apple’s Highlight search, and a sidebar that included the search bar, tab listing, person bookmarks, audio controls, and extra.
Nonetheless, Arc might have tried to push the envelope a bit too far: Miller later admitted that Arc was in the end too complicated for most individuals to undertake.
“Arc was just too totally different, with too many new issues to be taught, for too little reward… On high of that, Arc lacked cohesion in each its core options and core values. It was experimental, that was a part of its attraction, but in addition its complexity,” Miller wrote in a weblog publish earlier this 12 months, detailing the corporate’s decision to wind down Arc and open source it, and refocusing the corporate’s efforts on constructing Dia.
However Arc might not essentially be a failure, even when it didn’t change into a extensively adopted shopper product. As an alternative, the browser gave the corporate a year-plus’ value of insights into what kind of fashionable browser options resonate with customers and which of them don’t.
That might assist the corporate get forward when constructing out the function set for Dia.
As Miller says in a publish on X, “Dia’s structure is a lot better for AI, pace, and safety,” however it can introduce options that Arc followers beloved, just like the sidebar mode — which was simply noticed within the firm’s latest “early birds” release of Dia’s AI browser.
Already, Dia has added different options from Arc’s “greatest hits,” like turning Google Meet right into a picture-in-picture participant mechanically whenever you change tabs and customized keyboard shortcuts. Miller hinted that the corporate is exploring how one can transition Arc’s Areas — the distinct searching areas with their very own set of pinned tabs, favorites, themes, historical past, and cookies — to Dia. And he mentioned Dia’s workforce is currently testing pinned tabs.
Miller moreover solicited suggestions about different options so as to add, like swipeable profiles, and Arc Search-inspired updates for the Dia mobile app coming in 2026.
Plus, Miller notes, Dia may have much less bloat and will probably be AI-native for issues like reminiscence and brokers.
Following the acquisition by Atlassian, The Browser Firm continues to function independently. Because of this, Miller mentioned the corporate will have the ability to add extra “browser fundamentals,” referring to favourite Arc options, to the Dia browser. He additionally shared that Dia is creating deeper integrations with Atlassian’s Jira and different apps, like Linear, underneath its new proprietor.