Google adds Gemini AI-powered ‘auto browse’ to Chrome

Google is launching a new “auto browse” feature in Chrome, powered by Gemini AI, initially for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the US. This capability allows Gemini to perform multi-step tasks such as researching travel costs, scheduling appointments, and managing subscriptions. The update expands Gemini’s functionality in Chrome, building upon its initial role as an AI assistant for questions and content summarization, and later additions like product comparison and browsing history recall. Gemini can now identify items in photos and find them online, apply discounts, and even log into accounts using the browser’s password manager.

Alongside 'auto browse', Google has redesigned Gemini’s interface in Chrome, moving it from a pop-up to a panel on the right side of the screen. It now integrates with Gmail, Calendar, Maps, Google Shopping, and Google Flights, enabling it to access and utilize information across these apps. For example, Gemini can use event details from an email and flight information to recommend options and draft follow-up messages.

Furthermore, Google is adding Nano Banana, its AI image generator, to the Gemini in Chrome panel. The company also plans to bring 'personal intelligence' – a feature that allows Gemini to access past conversations and data from Gmail, Calendar, Photos, and search history – to Chrome in the coming months, positioning it to compete with other AI browsers like OpenAI’s Atlas and Perplexity’s Comet.

(Source：The Verge)