Ask HN: Why all the sudden people are writing browsers with AI?

Hacker News lit up over a simple question: why is everyone suddenly building web browsers with AI? One camp says it’s because “build a browser” is the ultimate three-word challenge, a clear, huge project that makes a great AI test. Developer Simon Willison even called it the “hello world” of multi-agent AI systems, the software equivalent of a test drive for the robots link.

But the skeptics rolled in fast. “Is this novelty or just remix?” asked one voice, pointing out that AI is trained on existing browser code, so of course it can cough up a “new” one. Another jabbed that you could just copy Firefox—no robot needed. The sarcasm peaked with a dig at Microsoft—“back in the game with a 3‑word prompt!”—while security hawks warned that the browser, the app you use to access the entire web, is a terrifying place to ship AI‑written code. One commenter called it a “perfect candidate for autocoded slop wrangled by incompetent developers.”

Meanwhile, pragmatists shrugged: someone tried it and it sorta worked, and everyone dreams of a custom browser anyway. Others noted that indie wins are rare (shoutout to “lady bird”), and many AI projects look like stitched‑together open source with missing pieces. The vibe? A split screen: true believers treat it as a bold benchmark for AI’s real-world chops; doubters see hype, shortcuts, and risk. And yes, the memes flew—“build a car” vs “build Space Invaders,” all roads leading to the same punchline: Is this innovation or cosplay?