Brave launches Ask Brave, combining search and AI chat in single interface

Brave announced Ask Brave on September 29, 2025, introducing a unified interface that merges traditional search engine functionality with artificial intelligence chat capabilities. The system is accessible through the Brave Search homepage and appears at the top of search results pages. Access requires no payment and works across any browser or platform.

The product extends Brave's existing AI infrastructure. According to Josep M. Pujol, Chief of Search at Brave, the company released its first AI-powered summaries in March 2023 through a feature initially called "Summarizer." This technology evolved into Answer with AI and is now referred to as AI Answers. The current AI Answers feature generates more than 15 million responses each day, positioning it among widely used AI products in the market.

Ask Brave operates differently from the existing AI Answers feature. While AI Answers provides quick summaries for immediate information needs, Ask Brave delivers more extensive results. Users can conduct follow-up queries in a conversational format. The system determines the appropriate level of detail based on query complexity, presenting both direct answers and contextually relevant supplementary content including videos, webpages, news articles, products, and businesses.

Technical foundation and grounding approach

The platform builds on Brave's grounding technology developed for its Search API. This technology achieved a 94.9% accuracy score on the SimpleQA factual accuracy benchmark, according to Brave. The grounding approach ensures that AI-generated responses remain anchored to information found on the web, reducing the likelihood of hallucinations or irrelevant outputs. The system restricts itself to search results relevant to user queries, operating within the constraints of Brave's search engine framework.

Brave's AI search infrastructure has been developing throughout 2025. On August 5, 2025, the company launched AI Grounding, a tool that helps artificial intelligence systems provide more accurate answers by connecting them to real websites and checking facts automatically. This tool tested using SimpleQA, which asks AI systems 4,332 factual questions about history, science, technology, art, and entertainment. AI Grounding scored 94.1% on this test.

Josep M. Pujol stated: "Brave Search was the first search engine to offer free and public access to AI summaries in 2023, and today we generate more than 15 million AI-powered answers daily with our AI Answers feature. Seeing the engagement of our users with this feature and how much appetite they have for the convenience offered by AI integrated into a search engine, it was a natural step to launch Ask Brave as the evolution of AI Answers."

He added: "While AI Answers give our users quick summaries, Ask Brave provides longer answers, follow-ups, and a chat mode enhanced with Deep Research, and most importantly, contextually relevant enrichments such as videos, news articles, products, businesses, shopping, and more - in the right place, at the right time. Search makes it possible, LLMs glue it together."

Brave's search infrastructure operates on an index exceeding 35 billion webpages. The company processes more than 1.5 billion queries monthly, making it what Brave describes as the third-largest global independent search engine. The Search API serves as a data source for various AI large language models, providing real-time information beyond static knowledge bases.

Deep Research functionality for comprehensive queries

Ask Brave incorporates a Deep Research mode designed for queries requiring comprehensive investigation rather than quick answers. This feature executes multiple rounds of searches against Brave's index, issuing dozens of queries and analyzing thousands of pages to compile thorough responses. The system applies an iterative approach to identify and address information gaps, aiming to deliver exhaustive overviews of complex topics.

According to Brave, the Deep Research technique leverages multiple rounds of Brave's proven search against its junk-free index of 35 billion webpages. The system has been designed to iteratively cover blindspots, issuing dozens of queries and analyzing thousands of pages so users receive the most thorough and well-informed responses available.

The Deep Research function displays its research process transparently, showing users the steps taken to compile answers. This methodology contrasts with standard search operations by prioritizing thoroughness over speed, accommodating scenarios where users need detailed exploration of subjects rather than immediate surface-level information.

Privacy implementation and data handling

User conversations within Ask Brave are encrypted and temporary by default. Chats automatically expire after 24 hours of inactivity, according to Brave. The company does not retain IP addresses associated with queries. Brave explicitly states that questions and conversations are never used for training purposes, maintaining its established privacy-focused approach across its products.

This privacy framework aligns with Brave's positioning in the browser market, where it has emphasized user data protection as a core differentiator. The browser serves more than 97 million monthly active users worldwide, with Brave Search functioning as the default search engine for these users while remaining accessible to users of other browsers.

Access methods and implementation

Users can engage with Ask Brave through three primary methods. Those who have set Brave Search as their default search engine can append a double question mark ("??") to any query in their browser address bar, directing it to Ask Brave. A dedicated "Ask" button appears next to the standard search button on search.brave.com. An "Ask" tab on search results pages allows users to expand conventional searches into chat-based interactions.

The interface can also be accessed directly at https://search.brave.com/ask, which users can set as their homepage. All AI features within Brave Search operate on an opt-in basis and can be disabled through settings menus, reflecting what Brave describes as a "when you need them" philosophy.

The note accompanying the announcement states: "With this update, we've simplified the name of an earlier AI feature: Answer with AI is now AI Answers. All AI features in Brave Search are optional and can be turned off via the settings menu."

Market context and competitive positioning

The timing of Ask Brave's launch follows a period of rapid development in AI-integrated search products. Multiple companies have released or announced similar capabilities, creating a competitive environment where differentiation hinges on factors including answer quality, privacy practices, and integration depth.

ChatGPT expanded search to all free users in December 2024, with OpenAI Chief Product Officer Kevin Weil announcing the global rollout of ChatGPT search capabilities to all logged-in free users. This represented a significant expansion of the artificial intelligence chatbot's ability to access and process real-time information from the web.

ChatGPT subsequently improved its search capabilities on June 13, 2025, with enhancements delivering more comprehensive, up-to-date responses through upgraded search algorithms. The improvements encompassed enhanced response quality, superior conversational context handling, and expanded search capabilities. Testing revealed users preferred the upgraded search experience over the previous iteration.

Google has also been developing its AI search features, announcing major expansions on July 29, 2025. The updates introduced Search Live with video input, enhanced Chrome desktop integration, and Canvas functionality designed to transform how users interact with search technology.

Brave's emphasis on its independent search index and privacy protections positions the product distinctly within this landscape. The company's decision to make Ask Brave free and accessible beyond its own browser ecosystem differs from some competitors who restrict advanced AI features to paid subscriptions or specific platforms. This accessibility strategy appears designed to drive adoption and demonstrate the viability of privacy-preserving AI search at scale.

With the Search API serving as a data source for other AI systems, Brave operates simultaneously as a direct competitor in the search market and as infrastructure provider for the broader AI ecosystem. This dual role creates both opportunities and tensions as the company navigates relationships with platforms that may compete with its own search offerings.

Implications for digital advertising and search marketing

The introduction of Ask Brave carries significance for the digital advertising landscape, particularly in how users interact with search results and sponsored content. Traditional search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising models have centered on ranking within lists of discrete results—the "ten blue links" model that has dominated search for decades.

The shift toward AI-generated answer formats fundamentally alters this dynamic. When AI systems synthesize information from multiple sources into single answers, the visibility mechanics that advertisers and content creators have optimized for over years face disruption. The placement of advertisements and the measurement of their effectiveness become more complex when users receive comprehensive answers without necessarily clicking through to individual websites.

Research has shown substantial impacts from AI-integrated search. A comprehensive analysis from Pew Research Center published May 23, 2025, examining one month of browsing data from 900 U.S. adults, revealed that users who encountered an AI summary clicked on traditional search result links in only 8% of visits, compared to 15% for searches without AI summaries. The data, collected during March 2025, examined 68,879 Google searches and found that 18% of all searches produced an AI summary.

Brave's approach of incorporating "actionable enrichments" such as products and businesses directly into AI answers suggests an attempt to maintain pathways for commercial interactions within the new interface. The company launched Brave Search Ads on May 30, 2024, following an 18-month testing phase with major brands like Amazon, Dell, and Shutterstock. According to Brave, a third of the top US search advertisers by media spend are already testing or using Brave Search Ads.

Jean-Paul Schmetz, Head of Search Ads at Brave, stated: "We've built a highly effective ad platform that, with time and continued support from global advertisers, Brave Ad Platform has the power to challenge Google's monopoly on search advertising."

The transparency requirements around AI-generated content also create considerations for marketers. As search engines increasingly blend AI responses with traditional results, questions emerge about attribution, click-through measurement, and the value exchange between content creators, platforms, and advertisers. Brave's grounding approach, which ties AI answers to specific web sources, maintains some connection to the conventional content ecosystem, but the nature of that connection differs substantially from direct traffic generation.

Marketing professionals have documented shifts in user behavior. Digital market intelligence company Similarweb announced on July 2, 2025, that referrals from ChatGPT to news publishers increased 25x year-over-year while zero-click searches on Google grew from 56% to nearly 69% since AI Overviews launched in May 2024.

The effectiveness of these adaptations will influence whether advertisers view AI-integrated search as complementary to or competitive with traditional search advertising channels. Independent research has revealed the sophisticated ranking mechanisms within AI search systems. Research published August 20, 2025, by SEO analyst Metehan Yesilyurt examined production environment settings through ChatGPT's accessible source code, providing insight into the artificial intelligence system's content selection process. ChatGPT employs a sophisticated reranking model designated "ret-rr-skysight-v3" that post-processes initial search results through quality-based reordering.

Timeline

• March 2023 – Brave releases first AI-powered search summaries through a feature called "Summarizer"
• July 2021 – Brave launches Brave Search with an independent index
• May 30, 2024 – Brave Search Ads exit beta following 18-month testing phase with major brands
• August 5, 2025 – Brave launches AI Grounding tool achieving 94.1% accuracy on SimpleQA benchmark
• September 29, 2025 – Brave launches Ask Brave, combining search with AI chat interface
• Current – AI Answers feature generates over 15 million responses daily; Ask Brave achieves 94.9% accuracy on SimpleQA benchmark; Brave Search processes over 1.5 billion monthly queries

Summary

Who: Brave Software, Inc., developer of the Brave browser and Brave Search engine, serving 97 million monthly active users. Josep M. Pujol serves as Chief of Search at Brave. Jean-Paul Schmetz serves as Head of Search Ads at Brave.

What: Ask Brave is a unified interface combining traditional search engine functionality with AI chat capabilities. The system provides comprehensive answers grounded in web search results, supplemented with contextual content including videos, products, and news articles. The platform incorporates Deep Research functionality for complex queries and operates on an index of over 35 billion webpages. The system achieves 94.9% accuracy on the SimpleQA factual accuracy benchmark.

When: Brave launched Ask Brave on September 29, 2025, building on AI search capabilities first introduced in March 2023. The existing AI Answers feature currently generates more than 15 million responses per day. The company launched AI Grounding on August 5, 2025, and exited beta with Brave Search Ads on May 30, 2024.

Where: Ask Brave is accessible through search.brave.com and at the top of Brave Search results pages. The service works across any browser or platform, available globally at no cost. Users can access it directly at https://search.brave.com/ask. Brave Search is the third-largest global independent search engine and processes more than 1.5 billion queries monthly.

Why: The launch addresses the fragmentation between traditional search engines and AI chat interfaces, eliminating the need for users to switch between different platforms. Brave positions Ask Brave as combining the actionable simplicity of conventional search with the convenience of AI-generated responses. The company emphasizes privacy preservation, with encrypted ephemeral chats that expire after 24 hours and no use of user data for training. The grounding technology addresses concerns about AI hallucinations in search results. The Search API serves as a data source for various AI large language models, positioning Brave simultaneously as a direct competitor in the search market and as infrastructure provider for the broader AI ecosystem.