Stop Chrome Browser From Downloading a Hidden 4GB AI File

[Radeon85]

Uninstall Chrome and use Safari or Firefox

Safari doesn’t exist on Windows and I need a browser that works on both systems, and I wouldn’t use it even if it did. Firefox, I do have installed on Windows, but the last time I checked recently, it doesn’t support native HDR video, which is pathetic in 2026 unless you use an Nvidia RTX GPU to use AI and convert SDR to HDR in real-time. It may be fine on a Mac, but I haven’t tested it there.

Chrome works perfectly everywhere while supporting native HDR videos, and at least on the Mac, it uses a hell of a lot less resources than the Windows version somehow.

 

[MadDawg2020]

The better solution - delete Chrome and block all things Google from your system.

 

[MadDawg2020]

But if I use Chrome, I likely want the AI, right? The Gemini integration is its main feature advantage right now. I don't need instructions on how to lobotomize my browser.

Did Google ask your permission to install this ?
Also did you consent to them using ALL of your personal data they can mine off you machine?

 

[Makosuke]

I have little choice but to use Chrome for work since virtually everything is a Google service, but if I had even the slightest inclination to use it for any personal browsing this eliminated it. I dislike Chrome for a lot of reasons, but the recent "YOU WANT TO USE AI FOR EVERYTHING RIGHT?! HERE IS A BUTTON TO THINK FOR YOU!!!" push has driven that from "not my thing" to "actively, viciously hate".

Seriously, the number of unwanted "Click this giant aggressive popover for an AI summary!" things is driving me to utterly despise nearly every program I am provided for work. I can't open a PDF without Adobe throwing two separate giant, aggressive boxes on the screen trying to offer an utterly useless summary of an engineering plan set. I don't even have Reader installed on my personal Mac it's so bad, but at work I don't have any option and it makes my skin crawl every single time I open a PDF.

It's like the "sign up for a mailing list you have no interest in" popover on websites has now infected paid desktop software, except instead of junk email I'm being force-fed an AI summary I don't want and know will do absolutely nothing but waste my time. (I even tested just to make sure--no, Adobe's AI does not know how to read an engineering drawing to tell me which devices a primary relay connects to, and even if it did I'd still need to double check it because that's my job).

 

[platinumaqua]

Safari doesn’t exist on Windows and I need a browser that works on both systems, and I wouldn’t use it even if it did. Firefox, I do have installed on Windows, but the last time I checked recently, it doesn’t support native HDR video, which is pathetic in 2026 unless you use an Nvidia RTX GPU to use AI and convert SDR to HDR in real-time. It may be fine on a Mac, but I haven’t tested it there.

Chrome works perfectly everywhere while supporting native HDR videos, and at least on the Mac, it uses a hell of a lot less resources than the Windows version somehow.

Firefox do support HDR video on Mac, but I turned it off since the way HDR videos appear on the MBP screen hurts my eyes.

There's also the de-Googled Chromium if you really want to use a Chromium browser.

 

[rp100]

Remember “the good old days” when companies were actively optimizing the use of disk storage and RAM consumption? Now, they don’t even blush when they covertly download a 4gb file and consume multiple gigs of RAM.

Years of cheap, accessible storage & RAM bred a culture of mediocre resource management.

 

[Astuces iOS]

I have Macs, Windows PC's, an iPhone and an Android. Please tell me where to get Safari for all those platforms...I'll wait. HAHAHA!

I would use duckduckgo on windows and android... I even have duckduckgo on my windows VM... not using this asschrome

 

[HouseLannister]

If that is the only thing that's better than other browsers, why not use a better browser?

If you don't like AI that's fine, but there is no reason to call other browsers an upgrade because they lack features.
Chrome also has some of the best tab management. I don't see any better browsers out there.

 

[Yvan256]

I wonder how many people with monthly data quotas are being busted by this one-sided decision taken by Google?

Organize a class action suit and take them to court.

 

[Corefile]

Better yet, uninstall chrome and install brave!

I was with you up to the choice after "and". I prefer Vivaldi.

 

[cubbie5150]

I was with you up to the choice after "and". I prefer Vivaldi.

Love Vivaldi....except for it's bookmark management. Can't even right click bookmark folders to sort bookmarks by name. What a weird choice by its developers.

-------
I find that my browsing needs are met by Firefox (~80%) and Safari. I do very rarely use the aforementioned Vivaldi, but the inability to manage bookmarks the way I want to makes it a no-go **for me** as a regular use app.

 

[HouseLannister]

Also did you consent to them using ALL of your personal data they can mine off you machine?

The amount of paranoia about Google after all these years is still shocking. People still thinking they read your email? Take off the tinfoil hat and stop spreading FUD. Google trains AI on the inquiries you give it, same as Apple. There is no difference between the two companies in how they collect data. If you don't trust Google, you don't have Chrome. No reason to downvote anyone who likes the browser. Watch all of this paranoia disappear when everyone installs macOS 27 and iOS 27 with no regard to how much space the Gemini is taking up on their devices.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

It is in the screenshot saying its used for scam detection.. How is that a bad thing for some avg user? We honestly need more of this, even from Apple on some level.. The levels of theft of peoples money, etc is really a serious issue.

Fun turn of events, the latest 26.5 removed OpenAI's Atlas browser saying it was a virus.. 🤣

Here’s the deal, if it was really awesomely beneficial to the user, no downsides, Google would have spared no expense in alerting the world about this amazing new feature… all users have to do is open Chrome, click a “Yes gimme summadat” button and 4 gigs would be downloaded… small price to pay for protection!

In reality, this is doing a whole lot more than scam detection in 4 gigs and they didn’t want to be upfront about what it was doing. Any company doing that has already lost the fight. They did it anyway because they’ve already got developers worldwide making sites that only work well with Chrome. And, those devs bought into it and aren’t likely to change, even knowing that the browser they force people to use are forcing the download of 4 gigs.

 

[Radeon85]

Firefox do support HDR video on Mac, but I turned it off since the way HDR videos appear on the MBP screen hurts my eyes.

There's also the de-Googled Chromium if you really want to use a Chromium browser.

Good to know, so unless it’s been changed lately, it’s just the Windows one that they don’t support it on yet.

 

[HouseLannister]

they didn’t want to be upfront about what it was doing. Any company doing that has already lost the fight.

 

[ripred]

Better yet, uninstall chrome and install brave!

<sigh> it's in brave as well:
chrome://flags
OnDeviceModel... is ON by default

 

[Mega ST]

And this is Apple's new Siri partner?

 

[ripred]

For those of us whose work requires Chrome, we are left to deal with turning off these unwanted features.

It is in Brave as well as probably most chromium based browsers

check yer chrome://flags in BraveBrowser:

OnDevice..Model is ON by default.

 

[svish]

Extremely bad that it is downloading without user consent. Anyway happy to see that there is a way to remove it. Thankfully it has not yet been downloaded in my computer and will definitely turn it off using the method mentioned once I see it.

 

[HVDynamo]

All you pearl-clutchers exercising your outrage: this is a LOCAL model. That has major privacy advantages. You’d be complaining the same if it was in the cloud but you’d probably complain about the fact that it’s in the cloud.

you are right it's better than a cloud based model. But I still don't want or need it. I don't care what it offers. I don't want AI in my browser at all.

 

[UliBaer]

Better yet, uninstall Google Chrome and install Helium! ( https://helium.computer ) Like Brave, but without the bloatware.

What is better in Helium than in Ungoogled-Chromium?

 

[bulletspongesquarepants]

From what I understand, Google is doing this to protect your privacy by installing Gemini Nano locally. This way, not everything is sent to the cloud, which saves speed and ensures phishing and security continues to work. A bit unexpected, considering Google isn't exactly known for privacy... Honestly, I don't see any reason not to want this.

 

[CocktailHour]

Thank you. Google disgusts me.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

I would use duckduckgo on windows and android... I even have duckduckgo on my windows VM... not using this asschrome

You do you, but just remember you are in the extreme minority.

 

[Stellarspace]

I transferred my browser data, deleted Chrome data from my Google account, and uninstalled Google Chrome on all of my devices months before uBlock Origin became disabled, then switched to Firefox. It's so much better.