Apple is using AI to tackle one of Safari’s oldest weaknesses: its thin library of browser extensions. According to The Verge AI, the company is now inviting users to essentially vibe-code their own extensions by describing what they want in plain language. It’s a direct shot at closing the gap with Chrome and Firefox, and it signals that Apple is finally getting serious about baking AI into its browser.
What stands out here is the approach. Instead of loosening its famously strict developer requirements, Apple is letting Apple Intelligence build the extension for you.
How the extension builder works
In a demo shared by Apple, a user typed a prompt: “Save and track cooking recipes from around the web. Click the toolbar button to see your saved recipes and add notes to each.” Safari then generated a working “Recipe Keeper” extension that does exactly that. The Verge AI reports that if the feature holds up in real use, it could fill the void left by all those Chrome and Firefox extensions that never made it to Safari. It also appeals to a growing crowd of people building personal software for themselves with AI.
The other new Safari features
The extension builder isn’t the only addition. Apple rolled out several AI-powered tools, and each one mirrors something a rival already shipped:
- Automatic tab sorting. Safari can now group your tabs into categories based on their content. Shopping for running shoes? Those tabs land in a group called “sneakers.” Google launched a similar Chrome feature in 2024, though The Verge AI notes it appears to have quietly disappeared. Edge and Firefox both offer their own versions, with Firefox using AI to name tab groups.
- Automatic password changes. Apple’s Passwords app can now use Safari and Apple Intelligence to visit a site, sign in, and update a compromised password on your behalf. Google announced the same thing for Chrome last year, but only on “supported websites.”
- A smarter “Notify Me” tracker. This lets you watch a webpage for changes. Plenty of third-party tools already do this, but Apple’s twist is that you describe the specific change you care about, like a product restock or a price drop, so you’re not pinged over every tiny edit.
Why Apple is playing catch-up
Let’s be clear about the context. Safari has lagged behind for a couple of years now. Chrome, Edge, and Firefox raced to add AI features while Apple slowly fed AI into its products. Until this update, Safari’s AI toolkit was slim, offering little more than AI summaries of webpages through its Highlights feature.
So this is Apple trying to catch up. But The Verge AI makes an interesting point about the strategy: while competitors rush to cram in every AI browsing feature they can, Apple is being selective. Most AI-powered browsing tools just aren’t reliable yet, and Apple seems to be taking a slower path to make sure what it ships has been proven to work.
Why it matters
This is significant because the extension problem has held Safari back for years. Developers found Apple’s requirements too stringent, so the ecosystem stayed thin. If AI can generate extensions on demand, Apple sidesteps that bottleneck entirely. You don’t need a developer or a packed extension store when you can describe what you want and have the browser build it.
The caveat sits right in the framing: “if the feature actually works.” AI-generated software is still hit or miss, and a recipe tracker is a friendly demo, not a stress test. The real question is whether these tools hold up when users ask for something more complex than saving recipes.
Apple’s slower, more selective stance is a reasonable bet. Shipping fewer features that actually work beats flooding the browser with half-baked AI gimmicks. Whether users reward that patience, or simply stick with the browsers that moved first, is the story worth watching. You can find the full details over at The Verge AI.