Google Chrome becomes an AI browser with Gemini integration and native AI Mode in address bar

Google Lens is becoming part of Chrome's native AI interface

Google is testing a new AI-powered side panel experience in Chrome Google is trying out a major tweak to how AI works inside Chrome, specifically by mashing up Google Lens with the browser's native AI side panel. Right now, this is popping up in Chrome Canary - the experimental playground where Google tests new features before they go mainstream. The big shift here is that Lens isn't just acting as a standalone tool for looking up images anymore. Instead, it now triggers Chrome's full AI interface right in the side panel, blending image search, page reading, and chat into one unified spot. Recommended Videos In this new setup, activating Lens does more than just highlight a picture. It opens that AI panel on the right, giving you a chat box, suggested questions, and quick actions. Since the panel can "read" the webpage you are currently on, you can ask questions about the article without ever leaving the tab. In testing, the AI handles summaries and context pretty instantly, keeping everything in a single thread. It also ties into Chrome's broader AI system, meaning your visual searches and chat sessions are finally living in the same history, reinforcing the idea that Google wants search, vision, and chat to feel like one continuous experience. Why it matters and what comes next Why this is important: This update is a clear sign that Google wants Chrome to be more than just a passive window to the web; they want it to be an active workspace. By fusing Lens with "AI Mode," they are positioning the browser as a smart assistant that hangs out alongside whatever you are reading. It stops being a separate tool you have to switch to and starts being a helper that actually understands the context of your screen. Why you should care: Ideally, this means less tab clutter and faster answers. Whether you are deep in a research hole, online shopping, or reading a complex article, having an AI that can see what you see - and explain it - without making you leave the page is a massive workflow upgrade. It feels like a natural step toward the "assistant-first" browsing experience Google is pushing on Android and Search. What's next: This is still in the "rough draft" phase in Canary, and the interface is clearly a work in progress. However, the way it links the side panel, the address bar, and your task history suggests Google is serious about building a unified AI layer across Chrome. If it survives testing, this Lens-powered panel could fundamentally change the rhythm of how we search and read on the web.

Google turns Chrome into a native AI browser with Gemini-powered tools

Chrome expands from a passive web portal to an active, AI-driven productivity hub, helping you understand, act, and stay safer online without leaving your browser. Google has rolled out the most significant upgrade in Chrome's history; it is embedding some advanced AI-based features directly into the web browser. These upgrades include AI Mode accessible from the address bar (or what Google calls the omnibox), multi-tab analysis (compares and summarizes content), Tab History Recall, and deeper integration with Google's apps like Calendar, Maps, and YouTube. Additional features include an agentic browsing assistant, contextual page questions, enhanced scam detection, smart notification filtering, and one-click password changes. Furthermore, Chrome's AI tools are now being marketed as native browser features, suggesting they may become an integral part of the browsing experience rather than just extensions. Recommended Videos This includes the ability to ask complex questions in the address bar, receive AI overviews or summaries in the side panels, and consolidate information across open tabs. All these features, including the new ones, are powered by Google's Gemini AI models. These features were announced in September, but they're rollling out now. With the new features, you should be able to combine and analyze information on multiple tabs seamlessly, ask follow-up questions, ask Google's AI to fetch data from your Calendar (could be the schedule for a meeting) or Maps (the distance between your house and the destination you're searching for), and detect scams and malicious content on the go. This marks a fundamental shift in how Chrome works, moving from a native browser that also provided active AI-based tools to one that offers them front, right, and center. Integration of AI features into Chrome makes the browser capable of understanding, summarizing, and acting on information for the user. This also helps Google place the browser as a direct alternative to OpenAI's ChatGPT Atlas and Perplexity's Comet. With the new AI features on Chrome, you'll spend less time toggling between tabs to find answers or organizing information. While the new AI-based tools are available to Chrome users in the United States, Google plans to expand geographic and language support in the near future.

Google Tests AI Mode Search Right Inside Chrome's Address Bar - Phandroid

Google is testing a new way to use AI Mode without even opening Google.com. According to Windows Report, instead of typing a search, hitting enter, and then clicking into AI Mode, you can now trigger it straight from Chrome's address bar. The feature is showing up in Chrome Canary (Google's experimental browser version) and a handful of regions. It's part of a wider push to bake Gemini deeper into Chrome. Here's how it works: Chrome adds an AI Mode button right in the search box on your New Tab Page. You can also type @aimode into the address bar as a shortcut. Either way, Chrome opens a little compose box where you can type out longer questions, attach images or files, and get Gemini-powered answers on the spot. Some test builds even show an AI Mode icon at the end of the address bar. Basically, you're one click away from asking the AI anything while you browse. If you haven't tried it yet, AI Mode is Google's chatbot-style search. Instead of giving you a list of blue links, it answers your question directly using Gemini. You can then ask follow-ups or attach photos for more context. It originally lived on Google.com and in the Google app. However, Google is now weaving it into Chrome itself so you don't have to leave the browser. The feature is rolling out on desktop and Android tablets. On mobile, you'll see AI Mode shortcuts pop up in Chrome's search bar or as floating buttons. Google is also working on a separate "Gemini in Chrome" toolbar button. It can summarize pages and help you navigate sites, so the browser is slowly becoming an AI-first tool. For most people, this just means faster access to AI answers. But it also nudges you toward using AI Mode more often, which could shift how you search. For site owners and SEO folks, it's another reminder. Getting found online now means optimizing for how AI surfaces and links to your content, not just ranking high on a results page.

Google Is Reportedly Testing AI Mode Integration Within Chrome Browser

Google Search is reportedly not requires within this experience Google is reportedly testing a new version of its AI Mode tool that runs directly inside the Google Chrome browser. As per the report, the new experience does not require users to first open the Search page, making the access to the tool more convenient. The new interface was reportedly spotted in the latest Chrome Canary build, and it opens via an internal address, indicating that this feature is not being powered by Google Search. Additionally, the feature also lets users ask questions, upload files or images, and receive answers all within the same window. Google Chrome to Reportedly Intergate AI Mode in the Browser According to Windows Report, the updated AI Mode now opens as a "Contextual Tasks" page inside Chrome. Users can reportedly type queries, upload PDFs or images, and even ask the AI to summarise documents or analyse content directly in the browser. Previously, AI Mode redirected users to a Google Search results page however, the experience is now self-contained. The publication found the new version within the latest Chrome Canary build, so it will not be available to even the beta testers. While testing the app's code, Windows Report found that the native AI also came with additional features currently not available in the version within Search. For instance, when an open tab was selected and the AI Mode was asked about it, the tool was able to summarise the webpage correctly without opening another webpage. This means the tool can now also access these tabs and help users with queries around them. This is similar to what Perplexity's Comet browser and OpenAI's ChatGPT Atlas can do. Apart from this, the report also claims that this version also supports image generation via Nano Banana (or Nano Banana Pro, depending if the user has an active Google AI Pro/Ultra subscription). The testers were able to generate images within the internal page, and that also did not require opening Search or any other tool. The report also revealed that some areas of the surfaced experience seems incomplete, with the interface showing placeholder text, such as "[i18n] Ask Google..."). Additionally, some features are reportedly not working reliably. However, this could be due to the feature not being stable enough or under development.