Chrome on desktop is getting a new batch of AI-powered features in multiple updates aimed at helping people find products online. There are three in total, the first of which is a change to the way Google Lens functions, making it behave similarly to the Pixel 8’s Circle to Search.
According to the announcementBy tapping the tool’s icon in the browser’s URL, you can select an object on the screen. Clicking on one will highlight it, and visual matches will appear from a sidebar as a Google search result. The company says users can then use multisearch to further refine the search “by color, brand, or some other detail.” And thanks to Gemini, you can “ask follow-up questions to dig deeper into a topic.”
You may also get an AI summary that gathers relevant information and presents it as text, though its display depends on what you ask. It’s worth noting that this feature made a very brief appearance in a recent Chrome beta. Despite its short time in testing, Google must have thought the tool was ready for a proper release.
The company further says that you don’t have to click on the Google Lens icon at the top. Users have the option to activate it by opening the “right-click or three-dot menu.”
Product comparison
In the coming weeks, Chrome is getting Tab Compare, which lets you combine multiple tabs with similar products into a single window and present AI-generated descriptions of each tab. Google gives the example of someone looking to buy a portable Bluetooth speaker.
A Tab Compare window can display three different speakers from three different brands, with key information like price, battery life, weight, specs, and a brief product summary. It’s unknown how these AI comparisons are made. The post doesn’t say whether you have to instruct the browser to make them or if they’re done automatically.
Finally, Chrome wants to make finding web pages in your browser history a lot easier, thanks to generative AI. Instead of sifting through dozens of links, you can ask questions instead. Google offers another example of a user instructing Chrome to show all the ice cream shops they’ve visited in the past week. The browser then shows all “relevant pages from your (personal) history.”
Like Tab Compare, the browser history update will be rolling out over the next few weeks, starting in the United States. There’s no word yet on when the feature will expand to other countries, though we’ve asked.
Keep an eye out for the Google Lens upgrade. The company says it will push out the patch “in the next few days.” If you’re in the market for a new computer, check out Ny Breaking’s list of the best Chromebooks for 2024.