Earlier this month, Google avoided having to sell off its Chrome browser as a penalty for operating an illegal monopoly in its search business, and now it’s going all in on features that will keep users further ingrained in the Google ecosystem. On Thursday, the company announced a reimagined version of the Chrome browser that will be littered with AI features, including Gemini integration throughout the browser and an agentic AI that can navigate the web and complete tasks on behalf of the user.
As of today, Google’s Gemini chatbot will be available across Chrome to all users and will no longer require a Google One membership to access, according to the company. Users will have to be logged into a Google account in Chrome to access the features. The chatbot will be available across Mac and Windows desktops for users in the US. It’s already available on Android and will be coming “soon” for iOS users, as well. It’ll be paired with a suped-up version of the company’s AI Mode that will be available throughout the browsing experience to find information and answers.
The company is expanding access to its AI Mode, first launched as an option within Search, through which users will be able to get an AI Overview (the same kind that has been spotted offering bad information in search results) of basically any webpage they are visiting. They can also ask context-specific questions about the contents of the page, which can be performed through the Omnibox, where users would otherwise enter a search query or a web address.
In a demo, the company showed a user asking AI Mode to grab warranty information while shopping for a mattress. Google says contextual suggestions are available now for users in the US, with AI Mode in the omnibox rolling out in the US later this month. Both features will launch with support for queries in English and will expand to more countries and languages later this year.
© GooglePer Google, users will also be able to tap Gemini to execute several tasks. The AI assistant, which is activated via the sparkle icon in the top right corner of the browser, will be able to compare information across tabs to help users have all relevant information in the same place, rather than needing to jump across multiple pages. Google points to planning a trip as one task that can be simplified through this feature, pulling together information about flights, hotels, and activities from a plethora of open tabs into one spot.
Perhaps the most intriguing feature that Google will be rolling into its AI-ified browser in the coming months is the introduction of agentic browsing. The company says that users will be able to assign Gemini to handle multi-step tasks, and it can navigate the web on the user’s behalf to complete the assignment. In a demo, Google showed the Gemini agent getting assigned a list of groceries from an email and adding those items to the user’s cart on Instacart.
© GoogleAccording to the company, the Gemini agent can operate in the background while the user continues to browse the web. It also said that agents will stop before completing any “high-risk” task, like making a purchase or sending an email, so the user can review and make changes before finalizing it.
Other companies—most notably, OpenAI—have also announced agentic browsing, though reviews of the feature have been pretty mixed. OpenAI’s ChatGPT Agent is also locked behind a $20 per month paywall. It’s too soon to tell if the Gemini Agent will fall under the suite of free features available to all users or will end up being a premium offering that will require a subscription or fee. But Google’s Gemini Agent comes with a few advantages that OpenAI doesn’t, including being native to the browser it is functioning within Chrome.
That nativity can also be seen in some of Chrome’s other AI features. The company announced that Gemini will be able to access other Google apps like Calendar (so it can schedule meetings), Maps (so it can look up location details), and YouTube (so it can search and find specific references within videos or generate a summary of what you’re watching). It’ll also work to recall web pages you’ve visited in the past.
© Google“At Google, our vision for AI is to create technology that’s truly helpful. We’re using the world’s leading models to transform so many of our products, and Chrome is a great place to see our vision come to life for billions of people,” Rick Osterloh, Senior Vice President of Platforms and Devices at Google, said in a statement. “We are evolving the browser to help you get the most from the web – in ways we didn’t think possible even a few years ago.”
Google might avoid the consequences of the monopoly charges, but it certainly seems like it’s going to use its market share to get users hooked on the AI tools within its ecosystem.
English (US) ·