Google is Adding Generative AI to Chrome for Mac & Windows

Google has been adding generative AI capabilities to all its products at a frantic pace of late. It has introduced some of these capabilities to the Pixel smartphones, updated Bard with its new Gemini LLM models which are said to be as capable as GPT-4, and now Chrome is receiving an overhaul too. Chrome 121 for Mac and Windows is getting experimental generative AI functions called Help Me Write, Tab Organiser, and Theme Maker.

These new capabilities come in addition to its existing features that leverage machine learning such as real-time captions and malicious site detection. The new “Help Me Write” feature will assist users in writing blocks of text anywhere on a website.

"To get started, right-click a text box or field on any site you visit in Chrome and select 'Help me write'. Type in a few words and our AI will kickstart the writing process for you,” Google explains in a blog post. The company suggests it could be used to help people participate in online forums, write helpful reviews, or send formal business communications. This could be helpful to people who have to deal with a language they aren't fully comfortable with.

Tab Organiser is quite self-explanatory. It will automatically suggest and create tab groups based on your open tabs. The list of open tabs in the top-left corner on Windows or on the right on macOS will have a new Organise Tabs option labeled “Let Chrome find new tab groups”. Users can also right-click on any open tab to find this option.

Chrome’s suggested tab groups can have a name and emoji, which you will need to confirm before the group is created. This could come in handy when you have lots of tabs open while researching any topic, shopping, or just working.

The same text-to-image models that create the AI wallpapers on Android and Pixel smartphones are coming to Chrome, to allow you to create custom themes for the New Tab page. You can enter your own text prompt based on any subject, and then tweak the mood, visual style, and colour.

To enable these features, you need to be signed in to your Google account and tap the three-dot menu. Head to Settings, then navigate to Experimental AI. These features will be available soon, starting in the US. Chrome will soon gain even more functions, with Google planning to integrate the capabilities of its Gemini model into the browser as the year progresses