The Browser Company has stated that it will not discontinue the Arc browser, despite moving on to its new AI-centric Dia browser. However, development of new features for Arc is now being halted. According to CEO Josh Miller, this decision was made due to Arc being too different from other browsers and requiring significant resources to overcome its complexities.
Arc’s unique approach has garnered dedicated users, but it also posed challenges such as security issues and instability. Miller acknowledges that these problems are not new, having been mentioned in a previous blog post in October. Nevertheless, he emphasizes the importance of prioritizing security for AI systems, which are becoming increasingly prevalent.
Miller reveals that The Browser Company has expanded its security engineering team from one person to five, addressing these concerns. However, this does not mean Arc will be open-sourced or sold. Instead, it will continue to receive security updates and bug fixes, albeit at a slower pace than Dia.
The decision also means that Arc’s custom infrastructure, which underpins both the browser and Dia, will not be made available for open-source use until The Browser Company is confident its future offerings do not pose risks to its team or shareholders.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/674603/arc-browser-development-stopped-dia-browser-company