Google adds Chrome AI features that can search your browsing history

Google has already demonstrated its AI in a variety of areas, with Gemini being its big effort to take on ChatGPT and Apple Intelligence. Now, Google's bringing some of those AI smarts to Chrome.

Announced via a blog post on Thursday, Chrome for macOS will be gaining three new AI-based features. The three are intended to make search easier, both online and within your history.

The first change is a new option to search using Google Lens, its visual search system. The update will allow users to select the Google Lens icon in the address bar and to select anything visible within the tab, including items in pictures.

Users are then presented a selection of matches in a sidebar, with users able to refine the results further by adding more detail.

The second main change is for users to be able to search through their browsing history. These include searches for pages you visited, but not necessarily saved via a bookmark.

Users can search the history using conversational language, with AI able to parse queries such as "What was that ice cream shop I looked at last week?" Relevant previously visited pages will then show on the screen.

Google advises that this feature is "entirely optional," that it can be turned off, and that it will never use browsing data from incognito mode.

The last may be a more practical option for shoppers, with Tab Compare allowing AI to generate an overview of multiple products that are shown in multiple tabs. The feature can provide details for each of a group of products on one page, including key specifications, summaries, and review scores.

The Google Lens feature will start to be rolled out to users within days, while Tab Compare and Browsing History Search will arrive to U.S. users within weeks.

A previous AI-based update from January added generative AI features to the browser, including AI-assisted writing, AI-infused personalized browser themes, and Tab Organizer.