The latest release of Google’s Chrome web browser brings in some AI technology. The company said today that it will soon introduce three new features powered by AI to Chrome for Mac and Windows. These features will help users to manage their tabs better, personalize their theme, and write things on the web more easily — such as forum posts, online reviews, and more.
The last feature is similar to something that Google’s experimental AI search experience, SGE (Search Generative Experience), already offers. It lets users get assistance in writing things like emails with different tones, like more formal or more casual, or with different lengths.
Google says that with the writing helper in Chrome, users can do things like write business reviews, “send a nice RSVP to a party,” or ask about a vacation rental more formally, among other things, including writing posts in public places, like online forum sites.
The feature, which is still being tested, will be available in Chrome’s next release next month. You can use it by right-clicking on a web text box or field and choosing “help me write.” You’ll start by writing a few words and then Google’s AI will help you out.
AI can also help you with tab groups and browser customization, besides the writing assistant.
Chrome’s Tab Groups feature lets users who have many tabs open sort them into groups. But this can take some time, the company says. With the new Tab Organizer, Chrome will make groups for you based on the tabs you have open. You can use this feature by right-clicking on a tab and choosing “Organize Similar Tabs.” Chrome will also give names and emojis to the groups it makes so you can find them easily. This feature can help you when you’re online shopping, researching, trip planning, or doing other things that need a lot of tabs.
The last addition is similar to the new AI-generated wallpaper feature that came with Android 14 and Pixel devices. Now Google will let users create custom themes for their Chrome browser using the same text-to-image diffusion model. The feature lets you create these themes by subject, mood, visual style, and color by choosing the new “Create with AI” option after you open the “Customize Chrome” side panel and click “Change theme.” Before, Chrome had a lot of colorful but simple themes to pick from along with those from artists, but this feature will let users go beyond the built-in options to create a theme that suits their own mood better.
The feature lets users who don’t have an Android phone try out Google’s generative AI for personalization, even if they switch back to a simpler theme later. But a busy theme might be annoying.
Google says the drafting feature will come in next month’s Chrome release, but the other features, like the tab organizer and AI theme creator, will be available in the U.S. on both Mac and Windows in the next few days with the current Chrome release (M121). To use these features, you’ll log into Chrome, choose “Settings” from the three-dot menu, and go to the “Experimental AI” page. The features are experimental, so they won’t be available to enterprise and educational customers yet, the company says.
The features are added to other AI-powered and machine learning (ML) tools in Chrome, like its ability to caption audio and video, protect users from bad sites with Android’s Safe Browsing feature in Chrome, mute permission prompts, and summarize web pages with the “SGE while browsing” feature.
Google says that Chrome will get more AI and ML features next year, including with its new AI model, Gemini, which will help with web browsing.