Google is embedding more artificial intelligence into its Chrome browser as the search giant works to fend off growing competition from AI startups like OpenAI and Perplexity. On Thursday, Google announced it’s rolling out Gemini in Chrome to users of Mac and Windows computers in the U.S., with plans for a mobile rollout to follow. The new feature will allow users to ask Gemini for help with a variety of tasks, such as understanding the content of a webpage, working across multiple tabs, scheduling a meeting, or searching for a specific YouTube video.
Rick Osterloh, Google’s senior vice president of platforms and devices, said in a statement that the company is “evolving the browser to help you get the most from the web.” He added that these new capabilities will be implemented while maintaining the speed, simplicity, and safety that users have come to expect from Chrome.
The New AI-Powered Browser Wars
Internet browsers are now at the center of a battle for consumer AI dominance, as they serve as a crucial gateway to accessing online information and content. For years, Google and Apple have controlled most of these distribution points. The U.S. Department of Justice recently tried to force Google to divest Chrome as part of its antitrust case, but the judge ultimately decided that Google could keep Chrome, in large part because the rise of generative AI has fundamentally changed the competitive landscape.
In response to Google’s longstanding dominance, rivals are now rolling out their own AI-powered browsers to control more of the user experience. For example, OpenAI is reportedly working on its own browser, and it announced an agent called Operator in January that can use a browser to complete tasks. Anthropic also launched a browser-based AI agent last month, while Perplexity debuted its browser Comet in July for paying subscribers.
New Agentic Capabilities and App Integration
The new Gemini in Chrome integrates more deeply with Google apps such as Calendar, YouTube, and Maps. This allows users to access services within a single tab without having to navigate to a different webpage. In the coming weeks, the feature will also be available to users of Google Workspace, where it will have “enterprise-grade data protections.”
Google also announced new agentic capabilities for Gemini in Chrome. Agentic AI allows users to build customized services that can perform specific, multi-step jobs. These features were previously part of an internal service called “Project Mariner,” which was popular with employees. In the coming months, users will be able to ask the Gemini agent to perform tasks like booking a haircut or ordering weekly groceries. Before this announcement, Google required a subscription to access Gemini in Chrome, but the service is now more widely available with far more features.
Author’s Opinion
Google’s decision to embed Gemini directly into Chrome is a clear and direct response to the threat of new AI startups. By reasserting control over the user’s primary gateway to the internet, Google is making it more difficult for competitors to siphon away users with their own AI browsers. This move is a strategic attempt to ensure that as the internet evolves from a place of static websites to an environment of dynamic, AI-driven agents, Google remains the central hub for all user activity. It’s a powerful statement that the company views the browser not just as a tool for navigation, but as the operating system for a new era of AI-powered digital life.
Featured image credit: othree via Flickr
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