Brave Browser Launches Privacy-Focused AI Search Feature

Browser developer Brave has introduced "Ask Brave," a new AI-powered search feature designed to provide users with comprehensive, report-style answers while maintaining stringent privacy protections. The announcement marks another step in the company's efforts to differentiate itself from mainstream search engines like Google.

How Ask Brave Works

The feature automatically detects query types and responds accordingly—no special mode activation is required. Users can initiate an AI-powered search by:

• Clicking the question button beside Brave's search bar
• Selecting the "Ask" tag on results pages
• Adding double question marks ("??") after queries when Brave is set as the default engine

Josep M. Pujol, Head of Brave Search, explained: "AI Answers give quick summaries, while Ask Brave delivers longer responses with follow-up questions and chat capabilities for deeper research."

Enhanced Answer Format

Responses mirror platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity, featuring:

• Source links
• Embedded videos
• Image carousels
• Contextual recommendations (news articles, products)

Users can request answer reformatting or pose follow-up questions through the integrated chatbot interface.

Privacy Commitment

Brave emphasizes its privacy-first approach:

• All chat records are encrypted
• Inactive conversations delete after 24 hours
• Uses proprietary API to verify result accuracy

The company reports processing over 15 million AI answers daily through its existing AI Answers feature.

Competitive Landscape

The launch comes as:

• Google expands AI Overviews globally
• Microsoft integrates Copilot into Bing
• Startups like Perplexity gain traction

Analysts note Brave's focus on privacy could attract users concerned about data collection by larger tech firms.

Key Points

• Report-style answers: Provides detailed responses with multimedia support
• Seamless integration: Works without switching search modes
• Privacy protections: Encrypted chats with automatic deletion
• Growing adoption: Processes millions of daily queries
• Market differentiation: Positions against Google and Microsoft with privacy focus