(Credit: Google)
Google is adding more generative AI to the Chrome browser, including a new feature that promises to reduce the clutter from all your open tabs.
The new tools arrive in today’s release of Chrome 121 for Windows and Macs. After updating the browser, the features will be accessible through a settings panel called "Experimental AI."
The first feature, called Organize Tabs, can sort open browser tabs into groups, thereby reducing the clutter at the top of the browser. It works by organizing open tabs by similar topic in seconds, saving users time from manually sorting them on their own.
For example, if you have a bunch of tabs focused on the Pixel 8 smartphone, the tool can automatically place them under one banner called Google Pixel.
(Credit: Google)“To use this feature, right-click on a tab and select 'Organize Similar Tabs' or click the drop-down arrow to the left of your tabs," the company says. "Chrome will even suggest names and emoji for these new groups so you can easily find them again when you need them next."
Since it’s an experimental feature, don’t expect the Organize Tabs tool to always work. In a quick test, Chrome sometimes told us the feature was unavailable. In other cases, the feature accidentally roped in a tab that shouldn’t have been included in the group.
The second new Chrome feature involves image generation. You can already customize the browser's look, but Google has now added a feature that taps AI algorithms to pump out custom wallpapers based on the desired topic, style, and mood.
(Credit: Google)“You’ll be able to quickly generate custom themes based on a subject, mood, visual style and color that you choose,’ the company says. “For example, maybe you’re enamored with the 'aurora borealis' and want to see it in an 'animated' style with a 'serene' mood. Just select those options to see what Chrome comes up with.”
Access the feature by clicking the Customize Chrome button found at the bottom right of a New Tab page. Then select Change theme > Create with AI.
The third feature, called “Help me write,” will arrive in next month’s Chrome release. The tool can polish, expand, or change the tone to any text you wish to write within the browser. Once the feature arrives, Google says users can right-click a text box or field on any site in Chrome and select "Help me write.”
“Type in a few words and our AI will kickstart the writing process for you,” the company added.
(Google)Google announced the features when Microsoft has already been baking in generative AI into its Edge browser, Bing search engine, along with Windows and its Office programs. In response, Google has been infusing its own AI models to the company’s search results, and now Chrome, as part of an ongoing experiment.
To reach the Experimental AI features in Chrome, click the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner of the browser and select settings. The Experimental AI panel should appear as a tab on the left side.
“Because these features are early public experiments, they’ll be disabled for enterprise and educational accounts for now,” Google adds.
(Google)