Google on Wednesday announced that it is bringing more of its Gemini AI features to its Chrome browser, the latest in the company's efforts to put its new-age tech front and center for users.
The Gemini-powered features include the image generation tool Nano Banana, Google's "Personal Intelligence" feature and "Auto browse," an agentic AI tool that lets users command the browser to perform various tasks across the web with a single prompt. Google is also introducing a new Chrome design that includes a panel on the right side of the browser that keeps the Gemini chatbot available as users surf the web.
Wednesday's announcements mark the latest steps taken by Google to retrofit its browser with AI features. That's key for the company as it competes against the likes of ChatGPT maker OpenAI and Claude developer Anthropic as browsers are the primary entry point for users to interact with AI services.
Additionally, the new features show how Google is trying to make its Chrome browser more personalized for users. Earlier this month, Google launched the personalized feature "Personal Intelligence" in the Gemini app. The feature connects information from apps like Gmail and Google Photos to provide users personalized answers in the Gemini chatbot.
"Chrome will remember context from past conversations so you get uniquely tailored answers to whatever you're looking for across the web and you can already add specific instructions to Gemini to get more tailored responses," wrote Parisa Tabriz, Chrome vice president, in a blog.
The updates also show the company is trying to realize Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis's vision for building out a "universal assistant," which he has defined as a helper that can plan and take actions on a user's behalf across any device.