Google Adds AI-Powered Google Lens and Tab Compare to Chrome for Desktop

[MacRumors]

Google today announced three new AI features that are coming to its Chrome browser, with Google taking advantage of the latest Google AI and Gemini models.

Google Lens is now available for the Chrome desktop browser, allowing users to search for what they see on the browser screen with a quick drag and search gesture. Google says that Chrome users can select anything on the page to search for visual matches, including text and images.

Searches can be refined by color, brand, and other details, and follow up questions are available for a deeper dive into a topic.

Tab compare is a new feature that is designed to let users see an AI-generated overview of products from across multiple tabs in one spot. Google says that this is useful for comparing reviews, prices, and other elements of multiple products when deciding what to purchase.

Google is also introducing a natural language search option for Chrome browsing history, allowing Chrome users to quickly find a site that they visited in the past with a phrase like "What was that ice cream shop I looked at last week?" Conversational search is optional, and can be turned on or off in the Chrome settings. It will not include data from incognito mode.

The AI-powered Google Lens feature will be available with the latest Chrome update that's rolling out over the next few days, while the other two features will be available in the next few weeks. Tab compare and the browser search option will both be rolled out in the U.S. to begin with.

Article Link: Google Adds AI-Powered Google Lens and Tab Compare to Chrome for Desktop

 

[coffeemilktea]

Google is also introducing a natural language search option for Chrome browsing history, allowing Chrome users to quickly find a site that they visited in the past with a phrase like "What was that ice cream shop I looked at last week?"

The ability to ask "what was I looking at before" sounds a little like Microsoft Recall, though a lot less invasive.

(though I guess that's not a high bar to clear; it's hard to be MORE invasive than Microsoft's Recall )

 

[jz0309]

Another reason not to install/use Chrome

 

[Line_Noise]

Dare I ask what the privacy protections on this are?

 

[Pakaku]

Oh boy, more false AI-generated results, just what I needed

 

[grantishere]

Dare I ask what the privacy protections on this are?

That's cute. Google doesn't know what privacy protections are.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

That's cute. Google doesn't know what privacy protections are.

Neither does openAI, yet Apple is hopping in the sack with them.

 

[lotones]

Neither does openAI, yet Apple is hopping in the sack with them.

Let's hope Apple is wearing protection.

 

[klasma]

allowing Chrome users to quickly find a site that they visited in the past with a phrase like "What was that ice cream shop I looked at last week?"

They could call that feature “tab completion”.

 

[klasma]

Let's hope Apple is wearing protection.

If anything, it’s OpenAI who will be doing the *******.

 

[TechnoMonk]

Google Gemini is garbage. Tried for couple months, what a disaster.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Another reason not to install/use Chrome

Remember when web browsers just displayed web pages? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

There was a brief time when Edge was possibly the best overall browser. Right between when they first forked it from Google and took all the Google stuff out, but before they started cramming all the Microsoft stuff in worse than Google ever did. They just couldn't resist.

Apple doesn't do this because they don't have to use a web browser as their platform. Microsoft doesn't even feel confident enough in Windows to be that anymore, they are basing it on Edge and Teams and "Microsoft 365."

The main reason Google is doing specifically this is yet more ad money. They specifically talk about shopping comparisons. They talk a lot about that these days. Let's hope Apple's services leanings don't push them in that direction. It's the same thing that junked up Edge.

 

[jz0309]

Remember when web browsers just displayed web pages? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

There was a brief time when Edge was possibly the best overall browser. Right between when they first forked it from Google and took all the Google stuff out, but before they started cramming all the Microsoft stuff in worse than Google ever did. They just couldn't resist.

Apple doesn't do this because they don't have to use a web browser as their platform. Microsoft doesn't even feel confident enough in Windows to be that anymore, they are basing it on Edge and Teams and "Microsoft 365."

The main reason Google is doing specifically this is yet more ad money. They specifically talk about shopping comparisons. They talk a lot about that these days. Let's hope Apple's services leanings don't push them in that direction. It's the same thing that junked up Edge.

You mean Google does not do that for the benefit of their users??? /s
Spot on, YOU, the user, is the product

 

[leoplan2]

Another reason not to install/use Chrome

so, according to your logic, Apple Inteligence is another reason to not buy/use any Apple products right?

 

[jz0309]

so, according to your logic, Apple Inteligence is another reason to not buy/use any Apple products right?

No, as it is supposed to have a on/off toggle.
Google is about making money of people’s data, you know that, right?

 

[dba415]

No, as it is supposed to have a on/off toggle.
Google is about making money of people’s data, you know that, right?

You do realize that most companies are making money off of people's data...such as your bank

 

[klasma]

You do realize that most companies are making money off of people's data...such as your bank

That's illegal where I live.

 

[Villarrealadrian]

Never use Chrome instead use Brave!

 

[9081094]

That's illegal where I live.

You live somewhere on the middle back of Timmy where the sun doesn’t shine? (Joking)

 

[9081094]

I wish safari would offer the same. Many times I’ve visited a website and later on I can’t remember where I’ve found that info.

 

[TechnoMonk]

No, as it is supposed to have a on/off toggle.
Google is about making money of people’s data, you know that, right?

Google having an off toggle doesn’t prevent them from getting data. They have been caught few times Collecting data with off enabled. It’s Like Johnny walker running Alcohol rehab centers.

 

[klasma]

You live somewhere on the middle back of Timmy where the sun doesn’t shine? (Joking)

The ranking from this article on bank secrecy probably still applies:

Low Secrecy	United States
Medium Secrecy	Australia, Britain, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jersey, numerous other Commonwealth countries including India, Malaysia, and Singapore, and the Scandinavian countries
Quite High Secrecy	Denmark, France, and Germany
High Secrecy	Austria, Greece, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Switzerland (some cantons only)

 

[jz0309]

Google having an off toggle doesn’t prevent them from getting data. They have been caught few times Collecting data with off enabled. It’s Like Johnny walker running Alcohol rehab centers.

my response to this was that Apple has a toggle for Apple Intelligence ...

But I agree with your statement, with Google, the user is the product ...

 

[9081094]

The ranking from this article on bank secrecy probably still applies:

Low Secrecy	United States
Medium Secrecy	Australia, Britain, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jersey, numerous other Commonwealth countries including India, Malaysia, and Singapore, and the Scandinavian countries
Quite High Secrecy	Denmark, France, and Germany
High Secrecy	Austria, Greece, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Switzerland (some cantons only)

Where is The Netherlands ranked? I’m curious:smile:

 

[dba415]

The ranking from this article on bank secrecy probably still applies:

Low Secrecy	United States
Medium Secrecy	Australia, Britain, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jersey, numerous other Commonwealth countries including India, Malaysia, and Singapore, and the Scandinavian countries
Quite High Secrecy	Denmark, France, and Germany
High Secrecy	Austria, Greece, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Switzerland (some cantons only)

The high secrecy ones are in the EU, the same group of countries going at Apple for anticompetitive behavior. Just sayin