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Google Chrome, which dominates the market, has joined the competition for AI-powered web browsers. Last year, Google, which encountered an antitrust investigation, managed to avoid the most severe penalty, which was the ‘sale of Chrome.’ Consequently, while Google’s launch of an AI web browser was later than its rivals, it is believed that the company aims to strengthen its position in the search engine industry using its large market share and advanced AI technology.

Google announced on the 28th (local time) that it has incorporated its AI model ‘Gemini 3’ into the Chrome web browser, allowing it to automatically navigate the internet and carry out tasks for users. With this feature, users can ask the AI questions or request image modifications instantly without needing to separately describe or download the content currently displayed on the screen. For instance, if a user is viewing an image of a cafe mentioned on a travel blog and says, “Suggest a place similar to this,” the AI identifies the image on the screen and locates a comparable cafe.

It also works with Google-connected applications like Gmail and Google Calendar. For example, if a user wants to book a flight for a conference, Gemini integrated into Chrome identifies the event schedule, suggests flights within the budget, and even writes an email to colleagues about the arrival time. Moreover, when looking to buy items such as balloons for a birthday party, uploading relevant images into the AI helps it suggest similar products automatically. Google mentioned that it implemented a Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), created in partnership with leading e-commerce companies like Shopify and Target.

These capabilities will be initially available to users of the ‘AI Premium’ and ‘Ultra’ subscription plans in the United States.

Google’s introduction of an AI-powered web browser faced some delays in comparison to its rivals. The technology sector has attributed this delay to worries about potential antitrust penalties. As of August last year, Chrome’s global browser market share was approximately 69.3%. Given Google’s dominant position in the search market and its significant market share, it was likely to face antitrust actions. In the ongoing antitrust case, there were predictions that “in the worst-case scenario, Chrome might have to be sold.” However, in the initial ruling in September of last year, Judge Amit Mehta from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia recognized Google’s monopoly but concluded that selling Chrome was not necessary. This is the reason behind Google’s late integration of AI features into its web browser.

The rivalry in AI-powered web browsers is becoming more competitive. Perplexity introduced its AI-enhanced web browser ‘Comet’ in July of the previous year, while OpenAI also launched ‘Atlas,’ a web browser utilizing ChatGPT, in October of the same year.