Google said it is expanding its Chrome browser with additional artificial intelligence features, bringing image editing, a new assistant side panel, and automation capabilities to some U.S. users. The company said the changes are part of a broader effort to add more AI across its digital services.
The image feature is the availability of Google’s AI image generator and editing tool, Nano Banana, for Chrome’s logged-in users on desktop computers in the United States, according to Google’s rollout plan described by the Associated Press. Google said it expects the expanded access to Nano Banana through the browser may further blur the lines between real-life pictures and fabricated images, an issue that has increasingly followed generative AI into everyday consumer tools.
Google’s browser upgrade also includes a side panel option for Chrome users in the U.S., allowing an AI-powered assistant to help with tasks. The assistant is designed to work alongside other online activity, according to the Associated Press report, with the user remaining engaged with other tasks while the side panel provides help.
For subscribers, Google said its AI Pro and Ultra services will include an “auto browse” function. The company said the function will be able to log into websites, shop for merchandise on command, and prepare posts on social media. Google said users would still need to manually complete purchases from shopping carts prepared by AI and approve drafted social media posts.
The Associated Press report said the AI in Chrome relies on the Gemini 3 model that Google released late last year and that is being incorporated into other Google services. The report also said Google has been using Gemini more broadly, including adding AI features to Gmail earlier this month as part of an effort to make Gmail behave more like a personal assistant, and then funneling more of the technology into search.
Google also linked the Chrome changes to its “Personal Intelligence” technology, which uses AI to learn more about people’s lives, according to the report. The company said it is promising a Personal Intelligence option in Chrome later this year.
The expansion arrives amid continued scrutiny of Google’s market power. The Associated Press report said the browser rollout is occurring after a federal judge rejected the U.S. Department of Justice’s request to force Google to sell the browser as a penalty for running an illegal monopoly in search. The report said the judge rebuffed the breakup request in part because the judge believes AI is already reshaping the competitive landscape, including as smaller rivals such as OpenAI and Perplexity use AI in chatbots and web browsers.
The report said OpenAI had expressed interest in buying Chrome if the breakup had been ordered before the judge opted against a sale mandate. It also said Perplexity submitted a $34.5 billion bid for Chrome before the court decision, as the company has built an AI browser called Comet.