Google Chrome: Here are the new features
Google brings AI power to the Chrome browser: New functions such as intelligent image search, product comparison and search history are intended to improve surfing. But what is really behind the innovations? Google is upgrading its Chrome browser with new AI functions. As the company announced in its official blog announced that three new features are intended to improve the surfing experience and solve everyday problems. Google’s AI model Gemini is used. But what exactly can the new functions do and how useful are they really? An overview:
Google Lens for desktop
Probably the most exciting new feature is the integration of Google Lens into the desktop version of Chrome. Until now, this function was only available on mobile devices. Users will now be able to click on a Lens symbol in the address bar and then select any area of a website. Chrome will then analyze the marked area and provide additional information in a sidebar – without having to leave the current page. Particularly practical: You can also ask follow-up questions about the objects found.
If you want to find a backpack in a different color, for example, all you need to do is ask. Depending on the type of query, Google will also provide AI-generated summaries as an answer. The function is very reminiscent of “Circle to Search” on Android smartphones. It is due to be rolled out to Chrome users worldwide in the next few days. Interestingly, Lens can not only recognize products, but also help with other tasks. For example, you can determine the light requirements of a plant or request help with math equations.
AI product comparison when shopping online
Another innovation is aimed at online shoppers: The “Tab Compare” function is intended to make it easier to compare products across multiple open tabs. For example, if you are looking for a new Bluetooth speaker, Chrome collects information such as product specifications, prices and reviews from all open tabs and presents them summarized in a new tab.
However, it remains to be seen how reliably the AI extracts and summarizes the relevant information. The function should be available “soon” for US Chrome users on the desktop. It is still unclear whether and when it will come to Germany.
AI-powered browsing history search
The third innovation concerns the browser history: in the future, you will be able to ask Chrome in natural language about websites you have visited previously. An example would be: “What was that ice cream shop I looked at last week?” Chrome will then search the history and present suitable results. For data protection reasons, this function will be opt-in, i.e. only activated at the express request of the user. In addition, no data from incognito mode will be included.
The function will be available to US users of Chrome on the desktop in the coming weeks. While the idea sounds practical, the question is how precisely the AI will actually find the right pages – especially if the search query is vaguely formulated. In addition, some users will certainly have concerns about data protection, even if Google assures that it will not use the data to train its AI models.
Gemini as propulsion
All new functions are based on Google’s AI model Gemini. This was introduced at the end of 2023 as the successor to LaMDA and PaLM 2 and is intended to be able to compete with OpenAI’s GPT-4 in terms of performance. Whether the new functions actually make users’ everyday lives easier or remain more of a gimmick remains to be seen in practice.
Conclusion and outlook
The AI functions presented for Chrome show that Google is increasingly focusing on the integration of artificial intelligence into everyday applications. While some of the innovations sound at least somewhat useful, questions remain unanswered – for example about the accuracy of the AI analyses or data protection. It should also be noted that most of the functions will initially only be available in the USA.
It is still unclear when and whether they will come to Germany. What do you think of the new AI functions in Chrome? Do you see real added value in them or are you skeptical? And what other AI features would you like to see in the browser? Share your thoughts in the comments
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