Google announces massive expansion of AI features in Chrome

Now that it's looking like Chrome will remain in the Google fold, the browser is undergoing a Gemini-infused rebirth. Google claims the browser will see its most significant upgrade ever in the next few weeks as AI permeates every part of the experience. For people who use AI tools, some of these additions might actually be helpful, and for everyone else, well, Firefox still exists.

The most prominent change, and one that AI subscribers may have already seen, is the addition of a Gemini button on the desktop browser. This button opens a popup where you can ask questions about—and get summaries of—content in your open tabs. Android phones already have Gemini operating at the system level to accomplish similar tasks, but Google says the iOS Gemini app will soon be built into Chrome for Apple devices.

Credit: Google

Gemini isn't limited to your current tab. Google aims to make it possible to interact with other apps and tabs without leaving the current screen. When you invoke Gemini in Chrome, it can work with the content in all your open tabs, and it has connections to Google products like Calendar and YouTube. It can also find links in your history based on a vague remembrance.

AI mode is also moving closer to becoming Google's default way to search the web. The updated Chrome now lets you begin AI Mode searches from the omnibar. There's a button to press if you want AI Mode, but it would be quite easy to swap in AI Mode for traditional searches in the browser. The omnibox will also gain "ask about this page" functionality. Chrome can suggest these questions (in English only for now) and show the answer in a side panel. The answer will, naturally, lead off with an AI Overview, and you can ask follow-up questions in AI Mode.

Google says it's also using AI to shore up Chrome's security. Gemini tools can already identify common tech support scams. An updated Gemini Nano model will be deployed that expands those detection features to spot fake virus alerts and phony giveaways. Chrome's password manager already tells you about compromised passwords, but with its AI overhaul, it can also automatically change them for you with one click. Although, it seems like that could easily go wrong.