Google’s Gemini in Chrome Now Does Tasks for You
▼ Summary
– Google is launching new features to deeply embed Gemini into Chrome, making it free and rolling it out to US users on Mac and Windows starting today.
– Gemini in Chrome will soon be able to perform tasks like grocery shopping, booking appointments, and rescheduling deliveries, with safeguards for high-risk actions.
– Google is integrating Gemini with Google Workspace and other products like Calendar and Maps, allowing it to find and act on information on users’ screens.
– Desktop Chrome users can now use Gemini across tabs to compare products, summarize information, and recall past browser history, eliminating the need to keep tabs open.
– Mobile users will gain enhanced Gemini features, including sharing full page context for deeper questions, with iPhone access coming soon via the Chrome app.
Google is making a significant move in the competitive browser landscape by deeply integrating its Gemini AI directly into Chrome, offering users a more seamless and intelligent web experience. This development marks a major step forward in how people interact with their browsers, moving beyond simple searches toward proactive assistance.
Starting today, Gemini in Chrome will no longer require a paid membership and begins rolling out to users across the United States on both Mac and Windows platforms. This free access aims to broaden adoption as tech giants like Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity compete for dominance in the AI-powered browser market.
In the coming months, Gemini will evolve into a more capable assistant, taking on routine chores for users. According to Charmaine D’Silva, Chrome’s director of product management, the AI will handle tasks like grocery shopping from lists found in emails, rescheduling deliveries, setting appointments, and booking reservations. High-risk or irreversible actions will include built-in checkpoints for user security, though a specific launch date for these agent features has not been announced.
Several other Gemini enhancements are arriving sooner. Integration with Google Workspace, for both individual and enterprise users, begins immediately, allowing the AI to interact with tools like Calendar, YouTube, and Maps. This enables Gemini to find relevant on-screen information and take action using those applications, making workflows smoother and more connected.
Enterprise users are a key focus for these upgrades. On desktop versions of Chrome, Gemini will operate across multiple open tabs, comparing products, summarizing content from various sources, and even recalling pages from browsing history. This means users can finally close those cluttered tabs without losing track of earlier research. Imagine wrapping up a day spent searching for team-building ideas, instead of leaving all those pages open, you can simply ask Gemini the next morning to show you what you were looking at yesterday.
Mobile users will also see improvements. While Gemini is already part of Android, the updated Chrome app will allow sharing of full page context rather than just what’s on screen, enabling more in-depth queries. iPhone users will gain access to Gemini via the Chrome app in the near future.
These advancements follow a broader industry trend toward AI agents that act on behalf of users. Last year, Anthropic introduced Computer Use for Claude, and OpenAI later launched Operator, which has since evolved into the ChatGPT Agent. Perplexity entered the arena with its Comet browser, and Atlassian recently acquired The Browser Company, emphasizing the growing importance of AI-infused browsing tools.
The integration of AI agents into browsers is rapidly changing how we navigate the web, making everyday digital tasks simpler, faster, and more intuitive.
(Source: The Verge)
