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Google Turns Chrome Into an AI Agent With Gemini ‘Auto Browse’

The release emphasizes a new side panel on desktop, a U.S.-only preview of paid Auto Browse, and UCP-based shopping with retail partners.

Overview

  • Auto Browse, now in preview for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the U.S., can navigate pages, click, type, and carry out multi‑step tasks across tabs and sites on a user’s behalf.
  • Safety controls require user confirmation before high‑stakes actions such as purchases, with visible Pause and Take over task options that let users intervene at any time.
  • A persistent Gemini side panel is rolling out to Windows, macOS, and Chromebook Plus, bringing on‑page assistance and Connected Apps integrations for Gmail, Calendar, Maps, YouTube, Shopping, and Flights.
  • Chrome adds Nano Banana image tools to generate or edit images directly in the browser window without downloading files.
  • Google is supporting the Universal Commerce Protocol with partners including Etsy, Shopify, Target, and Wayfair, and plans to add opt‑in Personal Intelligence to Chrome in the coming months as privacy, reliability, and merchant pushback remain open issues.