Gemini-Powered “Auto Browse” Could Redefine Chrome Browsing

Key Highlights:

• Google is testing a Gemini Auto Browse tool that lets AI take control of Chrome tasks.
• Auto Browse may run inside a Chrome extension, offering a sidebar-style agent experience.
• The feature could launch as a Gemini Ultra exclusive, aimed at power users and professionals.

AI companies are pushing agent-based browsers, with the aim of transforming web browsing like never before. Companies like OpenAI, Perplexity, and others have already dropped their AI browsers. Well, it’s hard to tell whether Google will drop something similar. Instead, the company is looking to integrate its AI assistant, Gemini, to help users browse the internet more smartly.

Google is testing a new Gemini-powered “Auto Browse” feature to automate Chrome browsing

According to a report by TestingCatalog, Google is now testing an Auto Browse tool that recently appeared inside Gemini’s tools section, marked with a cursor icon. Since features being internally tested are not live yet, this one isn’t available for users right now. Still, the spotting makes it pretty clear that the company has some big plans when it comes to AI browsing. So, what can this Auto Browse feature do, you may ask?

Well, Auto Browse is designed to let Gemini browse the web on your behalf, manage tabs, and interact directly with Chrome pages. Google wants to cut down the extra steps of asking Gemini for answers. Rather, the idea is to let Gemini take over Chrome and handle routine tasks on its own. With the new feature, users may get help with researching, navigation, and possibly multi-step workflows, all without leaving the Gemini interface.

The report maintains that this feature is built specifically for Chrome. Based on the spotted code references, Gemini may run inside a Chrome extension, suggesting a sidebar-style experience instead of a standalone tool. That lines up with Google’s recent push toward agent-style AI features, similar to what we’ve already seen from Perplexity Comet and ChatGPT Atlas.

Notably, Auto Browse was added to Gemini’s internal toolset not long ago, which suggests that Google is moving ahead with development at a faster pace. It also builds on Chrome’s agentic features that Google began testing last September. However, those features were limited to a small section of the US audience at the time.

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The feature might be exclusive to Gemini Ultra plan subscribers at launch

As a side note, the Gemini-powered Auto Browse feature might be exclusive to the Gemini Ultra plan at launch, hinting at the premium nature of the tool. If that turns out to be accurate, Auto Browse will likely cater to power users and professionals who want AI to actively manage web-based tasks instead of just assisting passively.

More recently, Google also announced Gemini as the all-in-one assistant for Gmail. There are a bunch of new features the company announced last week, including AI Overviews for Gmail, AI Inbox, and more.