Google Disco launches with GenTabs feature that builds instant web apps from your browser tabs

Reviewed byNidhi Govil

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Google unveiled Disco, an experimental web browser powered by Gemini 3 that transforms how users interact with the web. The first feature, GenTabs, creates interactive web apps from open tabs and user prompts, offering personalized tools for research, trip planning, and learning. Starting with a limited macOS waitlist, this AI experiment could reshape the browsing experience.

Google Disco Introduces GenTabs to Transform Browser Tabs Into Custom Web Applications

Google has launched Disco, a Gemini-powered experimental web browser that reimagines web interaction through its first feature, GenTabs

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. The innovative tool proactively suggests and builds interactive web apps based on your open browser tabs, user prompts, and chat history

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. Unlike traditional browsing where users juggle dozens of tabs, GenTabs creates custom web applications on the fly using Gemini 3, Google's latest AI model

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Source: CNET

Source: CNET

The experimental web browser represents what Parisa Tabriz, who leads the Chrome team, describes as a test of how people might interact with a more adaptive, task-driven browser rather than a general-purpose replacement for Chrome

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. GenTabs turns tabs into custom mini-apps that function as interactive widgets created from a mix of user prompts, open tabs, and chat history

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How GenTabs Creates Instant Web Apps From Your Browsing Activity

When you ask GenTabs to help plan a vacation to Japan or learn about the solar system, the Gemini-powered tool generates an instant web app builder experience designed to present information in visually appealing formats

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. For trip planning, the web app might include an interactive map showcasing top travel spots, a calendar, and info bars

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. In demonstrations, the AI experiment created a 3D model of the solar system and even generated an interactive model of a human foot when asked how ankles work

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Source: 9to5Google

Source: 9to5Google

The feature works by proactively understanding the content in your open tabs and conversational chatbot queries to create apps from browser tabs that distill information in new ways

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. Google Labs designed the system to nudge users to try GenTabs as they browse, with prompts like "I could create an interactive tool to help you compare activities"

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. Every generative element ties back to the web and links to original sources, addressing concerns about AI hallucinations and traffic diversion from third-party websites

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Source: Phandroid

Source: Phandroid

Google Disco's Interface Blends Browsing With Generative AI

Google Disco ditches the traditional search box for a conversational chatbot experience from the start

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. As you browse, Disco displays two windows side by side: one showing your ongoing conversation with Gemini, and another displaying the actual browser with all tabs

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. This web browsing experience encourages users to shape AI output collaboratively through their own exploration rather than staying confined to a chatbot interface

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Manini Roy, who runs an innovation lab within the Chrome organization, demonstrated how users can launch a "project" - a self-contained workspace combining a chat interface with traditional web tabs

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. When she requested trip planning to Japan, Gemini assembled a browser-based app within a minute, displaying an annotated map, itinerary builder, and links to data sources. As new sites were added during research, the GenTab automatically updated to reflect the latest information

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Limited Rollout and Future Implications in the AI Race

Google is starting with a small cohort of testers through Google Labs, with the waitlist for downloading Disco and trying GenTabs currently open for macOS users first

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. The company acknowledges that not everything will work perfectly at this experimental stage

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. Tester feedback will help determine what's useful and what needs refinement, with the most compelling ideas from Disco potentially making their way into larger Google products

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The release comes as Google pulls ahead in the AI race against OpenAI, with Gemini 3 launching earlier this month to widespread acclaim

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. The launch reportedly caused OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to declare a "code red" situation inside the company

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. For Google, worth $3.8 trillion, absorbing the computing costs of richer AI features proves easier than for competitors, especially since Gemini 3 was trained on Google's own Tensor chips rather than relying on Nvidia supply

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Unanswered Questions About GenTabs' Future Direction

The Chrome team has not yet decided whether generated tabs should persist as full web apps with shareable URLs or disappear when a project closes

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. Users have requested both permanent and temporary options, as well as the ability to export GenTab data into existing productivity platforms, including Google Workspace tools like Docs and Sheets

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. Both Tabriz and Roy acknowledge that Disco's future remains uncertain as it stays an experiment within Google Labs rather than a product slated for release

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. However, the project signals a shift from static content consumption to interactive creation, testing how browsers and AI systems might merge while keeping users connected to the open web

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