Google is giving its AI assistant Gemini a more prominent place in the Chrome browser. Gemini can, among other things, fill in forms, scour webshops or generate images.
Google is integrating extra AI capabilities into the Chrome browser. Gemini has been ubiquitous in the browser since the end of last year, and the new update gives the AI assistant even more power. Google lets Gemini browse for you and gives it a more visible place in a new sidebar.
Auto-browsing
Gemini will be able to perform more tasks autonomously in Chrome. Google describes this as ‘auto-browsing’, where Gemini does the browsing work for the user. Some new powers that Gemini gets include filling in online forms, logging in to websites or even making online purchases for you.
In a demonstration to SiliconAngle, Google shows how Gemini can independently search for a jacket in an online store, log in to the online store and order or register the product. Gemini can only access login details that you have saved with Password Manager, built into Chrome. Even if you leave the tab, Gemini continues to do its work in the background.
Google is also putting the AI image generator Nano Banana directly into Chrome. This makes it possible to edit images in the browser without having to download and re-upload them. The image generator is accessible via a sidebar.
Sidebar
The new sidebar serves to make Gemini more visible in Chrome. Gemini no longer needs to be opened in a separate window, but looks from the side of your screen. That doesn’t mean Gemini is limited to the tab you have open at that moment: it can take context from different open tabs. This is similar to how Microsoft Copilot integrates in Edge.
Gemini is slowly but surely becoming an indispensable part of the Google ecosystem. Google likes to use its various platforms to bring the AI assistant to as many users as possible. As the most popular web browser and gateway to the Google empire, Chrome is the perfect tool. In doing so, Google more than once seeks the limits of what is permissible.