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Google’s popular web browser, Chrome, is getting a significant update with the release of Chrome M121, introducing three new generative AI features designed to make browsing easier, more efficient, and personalized.
These new features are available as experimental options for Chrome users in the U.S. on Macs and Windows PCs. They utilize Google’s advanced machine learning and AI technologies to automate and enhance tasks such as organizing tabs, creating custom themes, and writing text on the web.
Tab Organizer: A New Way to Manage Tabs
One of the new features, called Tab Organizer, automatically groups and labels similar tabs based on their content and context. This reduces the clutter and confusion that often comes from having too many tabs open. Users can access this feature by right-clicking on a tab and selecting “Organize Similar Tabs” or clicking the drop-down arrow to the left of the tabs. Chrome will also suggest names and emojis for the new groups, making it easier to find and switch between them.
Create with AI: Custom Themes
Another feature, called Create with AI, lets users quickly generate custom themes for Chrome based on their choice of subject, mood, visual style, and color. Users can select from a variety of options, such as “aurora borealis” in an “animated” style with a “serene” mood, and see the results. This feature uses a text-to-image diffusion model previously introduced in Android 14 and Pixel devices to create generative AI wallpapers. Users can access this feature by clicking the “Customize Chrome” button at the bottom right of a new tab page, then selecting “Change theme” and “Create with AI”.
Help Me Write: AI-Assisted Writing
The third feature, which will be available in next month’s Chrome release, is called Help Me Write. It assists users in drafting text on the web. This feature uses a generative AI model to suggest ways to polish, expand, or change the tone of the text based on the user’s preference. Users can access this feature by right-clicking on a text box or field on any website and selecting “Help me write”.
Google Chrome’s AI Ambitions and Challenges
These new features are part of Google’s ongoing efforts to integrate the latest AI and machine learning innovations into Chrome, which is the world’s most widely used web browser, with a global market share of 62.85% across all device types. Chrome has previously added AI features such as real-time captions for videos, malicious site detection, permission prompt management, and key point generation for web pages.
Currently, these new features are early public experiments and are disabled for enterprise and educational accounts. Users who want to try them out can sign into Chrome, go to “Settings” from the three-dot menu, and navigate to the “Experimental AI” page.
The new features have received mixed reviews from users and experts. While the convenience and creativity of the AI tools were praised, concerns about privacy, security, and accuracy were also raised. In our brief experience with the update, the Tab Organizer feature occasionally grouped unrelated tabs together or failed to work entirely.
Google assures users that it is committed to privacy and security, stating that it does not collect or store any personal information from the AI features. The company is continuously working to improve the quality and reliability of its AI models and welcomes feedback from users to help refine these features.