Image: Petter Ahrnstedt
Google has big plans for AI, and that’s no secret. But specifically what it plans to do with AI in the near future — and how it hopes consumers will interact with it — is a little more hazy.
According to a new report, the next major revision of the Gemini model has some grand ambitions, including the ability to completely control the Chrome browser. That’s according to The Information, citing unconfirmed leaks from deep within Google.
The system is allegedly codenamed “Project Jarvis,” a clear allusion to Tony Stark’s fictional and semi-sentient artificial intelligence from the Iron Man movies. This upgraded version of Gemini can apparently control Google’s Chrome browser with screenshots and virtualized mouse clicks, similar to what Anthropic recently unveiled with its Claude AI system.
According to the leaked info, the end goal is a system that’s sophisticated and reliable enough to be used to order products from online stores or even arrange and pay for plane tickets. That would be a serious step up from the somewhat basic attempts at automation currently seen from Google and its competitors. But Google’s deep hooks in the browser and search space would certainly make it possible, if not easy.
Google is expected to unveil an early preview of this capability in December, though that’s allegedly subject to change. A small initial beta test to work out the kinks — and boy, there would be some concerning kinks in any system expected to autonomously spend regular users’ money — would then follow.
We can’t independently confirm The Information’s, um, information. But it tracks with Google’s more consumer-focused take on AI, as opposed to Microsoft’s clear intention to woo businesses. Google is trying to bake AI features into Chromebooks and Pixel phones, making a case for integrating it into everyday tasks.
So far, its attempts have been met with a lot of hesitancy, particularly when it comes to Google’s primary Search tool. But Gemini’s integration with ChromeOS makes a better case for leaning on these intense, remote-heavy processes, at least in some cases. If Google can get automation into Chrome in a more comfortable, and crucially, reliable fashion, it might just convince people that this is something worth the asking price.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he’s the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop “battlestation” in his off hours. Michael’s previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he’s covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he’s always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.
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