Opera Leaders Discuss AI, Apple, and Web Browser Privacy

Opera’s key executives discuss the future of AI privacy, the challenges posed by deepfakes, and the impact of Apple’s browser regulations. Read the full interview on Techopedia.

Opera, one of the largest alternative web browser creators, is at the forefront of some of the hottest issues in technology today. It’s pushing generative AI as one of its tentpole features. It stands to benefit from the EU forcing Apple to open up to third-party apps, and it’s advocating for privacy at a time when user data seems increasingly under threat.

But where does Opera see things going in the long term? Techopedia had the opportunity to interview key leaders at the company to get its thoughts about the perks and pitfalls of AI, including privacy, as well as why Apple’s new policies won’t lead to the rapid changes you might expect.

Opera on AI Privacy, Regulation, and Hallucinations

There’s little doubt that Opera is going into AI with its eyes open. Krystian Kolondra, the Executive VP for PC, GX, and Gaming, told Techopedia that there are plenty of “risks” stemming from AI, including privacy. Even if that privacy is regulated, users won’t always know how their data is being used for purposes like model training.

Kolondra suggested that privacy controls would likely continue to tighten going forward. Apps like Opera might restrict what data AI is allowed to use, for instance.

The EVP said Opera was in favor of regulations governing AI, though like Meta and other tech companies he had certain limits. The company is in favor of regulation that helps users and “doesn’t slow down innovation,” he said. Outdated or poorly applied rules could actually make things worse, he argued, such as Apple’s decision to delay Apple Intelligence access in the EU over uncertainty.

Deepfakes are a “big risk,” Kolondra said. The industry might need ways to verify that a public figure really said what was claimed, or to determine if something was AI-generated.

Certain issues were going to persist. Information Security Manager Hans Metsoja told Techopedia that security was a “constant arms race,” and that Opera was continuously rolling out new protections.

And yes, AI hallucinations are as much of an issue as ever. Kolondra noted that Opera’s Aria AI is a “multi-LLM” system that relies on a mix of internal and external models, and the company can recognize when certain prompts are more likely to produce hallucinations. These systems are “not 100% bulletproof,” he said, as misinformation fed into AI isn’t a hallucination even though it’s false. The executive was sure these problems would persist.

“We’ll be dealing with hallucinations for a long time,” he said.

Opera on Apple and Browser Choice

You’d be forgiven for thinking that Opera would leap on the opportunities presented by the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the compliance requirements set for Apple. In theory, Opera could use its own engine for its iOS browser and give users a real alternative to Safari, rather than having to run its features on top of Safari’s WebKit.

But it’s not quite that simple. As iOS Product Manager Jona Bolin explained to Techopedia, Opera has conducted research on using its own engine on Apple’s mobile platforms and determined that there are multiple points that make it “too costly” and a “business risk.”

For a start, Apple might change the circumstances; it’s not yet clear how changes in browser options will pan out. Other companies have “done preparations” for using their own browser engines on iOS, but Bolin felt it was telling that no one has committed to it so far.

He also pointed out that the US, UK, and other countries had to press Apple for changes. Otherwise, Opera would have the cost of developing two iOS browsers: one for the EU, where it could use its own engine, and the existing WebKit-based app for every other region.

Even so, Bolin saw some tangible progress from Apple. While Apple’s initial browser choice ballot was “awkward,” that got better with iOS 18. The company has addressed “a majority” of the pain points Opera saw, the product lead said. Opera mainly wanted Apple to let it check if it was the default browser and ask for permission to change that default.

You shouldn’t, however, expect Opera to vary wildly between mobile platforms. It was “not really” going to change.The differences might come down to the nature of the platforms, as some things are easier to do on iOS compared to Android and vice versa.

In both the interview and a presentation Bolin said the focus for Opera’s iOS browser was on “refinement” that brought the iPhone version more in line with the desktop release than with Android. The firm wanted the bits and pieces to fit better together.