Google will introduce Gemini to Chrome browser to defend AI search

On September 19, technology giant Google recently announced that it will fully introduce a number of artificial intelligence features based on its self-developed large model Gemini to its Chrome browser to cope with the increasingly fierce market competition from AI startups such as OpenAI and Perplexity.

In an official blog post released on Thursday, Google stated that Gemini is now deeply integrated into the Chrome browser, covering Mac, Windows and mobile device users across the United States.

This integration not only enhances the information processing and interaction capabilities of the browser itself, but also enables users to directly call Gemini to complete multiple tasks during browsing, such as: interpreting the content of the current web page according to instructions, integrating information from different tabs, and even quickly restoring closed web pages.

It is worth noting that Gemini has also achieved deeper integration with many of Google's core applications, such as Calendar, YouTube and Maps. Users can directly access the relevant functions of these services without leaving the current browsing page, which significantly improves operational efficiency and experience consistency.

"We're comprehensively upgrading Chrome to enable users to get the most out of the internet like never before," Rick Osterloh, Google's senior vice president of platforms and devices, emphasized in a statement. "At the same time, we're not sacrificing the core qualities that have always made Chrome popular: speed, simplicity, and security." Furthermore, Mike Torres, Google's vice president of product, revealed that this AI feature will be expanded to Google Workspace enterprise users in the coming weeks, providing them with "enterprise-grade data protection," demonstrating Google's commitment to data security and compliance in commercial scenarios. Separately, Google also announced Gemini, a new "agent-like" feature in Chrome.

This AI agent allows users to build customized services to perform specific tasks. In the coming months, users will be able to use voice or text commands to have Gemini agents perform practical tasks like booking a haircut or ordering weekly groceries.

This feature, originally part of Google's internal "Project Mariner," has been widely praised by employees. Prior to this announcement, Gemini in Chrome was only available to users who subscribed to certain Google services.

This update not only significantly lowers the barrier to entry but also brings more practical AI capabilities, signaling that Google is accelerating the adoption of generative AI in consumer products. Currently, as generative AI technology gradually reshapes how we access and interact with information, the strategic position of browsers as the core gateway to the internet is becoming increasingly prominent.

Google and Apple have long dominated the distribution channels for most web traffic, which was a major reason for the US Department of Justice to launch an antitrust lawsuit against Google and, at one point, demand that it split up Chrome.

However, a court recently ruled that Google can continue to retain Chrome. The judge specifically noted that the rise of generative AI has profoundly altered the market competition landscape, significantly shifting the practical basis for traditional monopoly accusations.

Meanwhile, several competitors are actively developing new areas of browser AI. In January of this year, OpenAI announced its intelligent agent project, "Operator," which can perform tasks such as coding, question-answering, text generation, and search within a browser.

It is reported that OpenAI is also developing its own browser based on the Chromium open source framework. In August, Anthropic launched a browser AI agent powered by the large-scale model Claude; and in July, Perplexity released an AI task browser called Comet, which is currently available to its paying users.

It can be seen that browsers are once again becoming a key battlefield in the confrontation between tech giants and AI upstarts, and Google's full embrace of Gemini is undoubtedly a strong response to this trend.