Kevin Zhang, a former developer of Perplexity's AI browser Comet, founded the AI browser startup Polar, which raised $5.7 million in seed funding led by Madrona, as reported by TechCrunch on July 29. Polar targets knowledge workers with workplace automation rather than general consumer use, allowing users to assign tasks to an agent based on open tabs, schedule workflows, or save prompts. Designed for non-developers, it supports sales, recruiting, marketing, research, and business operations. Zhang stated that early AI browsers focused on replacing basic search and tasks like travel bookings, but that was not a strong long-term value proposition, as consumers do not book flights or restaurants daily. Polar offers the browser for free, with daily credits for AI tasks limited; users seeking a higher limit must use a subscription plan starting at $20 a month. Most users currently employ a separate main browser and use Polar only for automation tasks. The AI browser market is shifting focus to agents and automation, with startups like Strawberry, Browser Use, and Aside developing agent-centric browsers, and Perplexity's Comet also changing direction toward offering browser agents.