Google brings Gemini AI to Chrome in bid to outpace rivals

Integration extends across Google ecosystem, linking directly with apps like Calendar, Maps, and YouTube

Google is embedding its Gemini AI directly into Chrome, the world's most widely used web browser, in a move to strengthen its position against intensifying competition from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity.

The company announced Thursday that Gemini will be available in Chrome for Mac and Windows users in the United States, with mobile rollout to follow.

"We're building Google AI into Chrome across multiple levels so it can better anticipate your needs, help you understand more complex information and make you more productive when you browse the web, all while keeping you safe," Mike Torres, Google vice president of product, wrote in a blog post.

Gemini's integration marks one of the biggest changes to Chrome since its launch in 2008. The AI can summarise articles or videos, analyse the contents of a webpage, and even handle multi-tab workflows.

A new Gemini diamond logo will appear in the top-right corner of the browser; clicking it opens an AI-powered chat window for natural language questions and commands. Google is also weaving Gemini into the address bar, allowing users to call on AI without leaving their browsing flow.

In a demo, Google showed Gemini breaking down a YouTube video into timestamped bullet points, then using those notes to schedule recurring events in Google Calendar.

It can also navigate e-commerce sites to help build shopping lists, though purchases still require user confirmation.

The integration extends across Google's ecosystem, linking directly with apps like Calendar, Maps, and YouTube. Enterprise users will also gain access in the coming weeks via Google Workspace, which will include "enterprise-grade data protections," according to Mike Torres, vice president of product.

The launch highlights the central role browsers now play in the battle for consumer AI dominance.

Internet browsers remain the entry point to the web, giving their owners powerful leverage over how people search, shop, and consume content online.

The US Department of Justice sought to force Google to divest Chrome in its antitrust case, though a judge recently allowed the company to keep it, pointing to how generative AI has reshaped competition.

That competition is now heating up.

OpenAI, whose ChatGPT remains the most widely used AI assistant, recently unveiled Operator, a browsing agent capable of completing tasks such as online shopping. The company is also reportedly building its own Chromium-based browser. Anthropic has launched a browser-based agent powered by Claude, while Perplexity debuted its AI browser Comet in July for subscribers.

However, not every company is rushing to add AI to its browser. Vivaldi has resisted integrating generative models, citing evidence that AI-written summaries discourage users from clicking through to original sources, threatening publisher traffic.

Concerns also linger over AI "hallucinations," where systems fabricate inaccurate information.

Google, meanwhile, is betting on "agentic" AI to push past those limitations. New Gemini features will let users instruct the browser to complete complex, multi-step tasks, like booking a haircut or ordering weekly groceries, without direct micromanagement.

These capabilities were previously tested internally under a project called "Mariner," which proved popular among employees.