Google today announced a further commitment to AI integration in its products with updates to its 17-year-old browser that it said are designed to improve productivity, simplify browsing, and bolster online safety.
Gemini in Chrome launches on desktop and mobile
Source: Google
The focus is Gemini in Chrome, which acts as an AI assistant: clarifying information, summarizing across tabs, locating references in YouTube videos, and resurfacing closed tabs in the form of a naturally worded request instead of a series of keyboard commands.
These features are available today to Mac and Windows desktop users in the US who have their language set to English in Chrome. As for mobile users, those in the US with Android devices can use Gemini in Chrome now, and iOS will get access soon. It will be rolled out to businesses using Google Workspace with enterprise-grade controls in a few weeks.
Google said that in the coming months, Gemini in Chrome will gain more advanced agentic capabilities, enabling it to perform multi-step tasks like booking a haircut or ordering groceries. Regarding the latter, Charmaine D’Silva, a director of product management on the Chrome team, said Gemini will stop before the purchase phase for review.
AI Mode makes for smarter searching
Source: Google
Chrome’s search and address bar, is being updated with AI mode, letting users enter more complex queries and receive AI-generated answers alongside suggested follow-up searches.
Users can engage it by clicking on an “AI Mode” chip on the right side of the search bar. They’ll then get recommendations based on the page they’re viewing. Google demonstrated the feature with prompts to compare products and check warranty policies on mattresses in a side panel.
US users who have English selected as their language in Chrome have access to the contextual suggestions starting today and will get AI mode in the search box later this month. Google said AI Mode will expand to more countries and other languages in the coming weeks.
Gemini Nano will be scanning for threats and taking action
Source: Google
Finally, Google said it has expanded the use of Gemini Nano, its lightweight AI model, to help block scams like fake virus alerts or giveaways. When annoying spam notifications pop up, users have the option of seeing them or unsubscribing from them.
Google also said Gemini Nano will study user behaviour around requests for things like camera access or location sharing to only allow through permission notifications that a person is unlikely to grant.
In the next few weeks, Chrome will implement Gemini Nano to make one-click password changes on compromised accounts.
Parisa Tabriz, general manager for Google Chrome, said that despite people being notified when a password is at risk, they often do not take any action to change it. Her team theorized that reducing the complications of changing passwords would lead to more people protecting their data. Google said the feature is coming over the next few weeks, with about 250 sites supported at launch and more to come.
