Google Introduces Gemini Side Panel that Turn Chrome Into an AI-Powered Browser
In Focus
- The Gemini side panel in Chrome makes AI assistance more accessible to users
- Users can interact with Gemini AI using the “Ask Gemini” toolbar
- The toolbar displays on the Chrome browser when users a user highlights text on a webpage
Google has integrated Gemini in most of its products, and the Chrome browser has not been left behind. The latest addition to Chrome is the Gemini side panel, an integrated AI assistant that operates directly within the browser.
Why Did Google Add Gemini Side Panel to Chrome?
Google added the Gemini side panel to the Chrome browser to make AI assistance easily accessible to users. The side panel allows Chrome users to access Gemini through a toolbar and interact with the AI feature while browsing the internet.
Since the Google Chrome AI feature remains visible as users browse, it makes multitasking easier. This enhances user productivity because it eliminates the need for users to switch between different webpages or tabs.
“We’re launching a new side panel experience so Gemini in Chrome users can always have a browsing assistant at your side, no matter what tab you’re in. This can help you save time and multitask without interruption. You can keep your primary work open on one tab while using the side panel to handle a different task,” Google’s VP for Chrome Parisa Tabriz noted in a blog post.
Google introduced Gemini side panels to Chrome months after it added split view and direct save to Drive features to the browser. Users can use the side panel for various tasks, including:
- Summarizing webpages
- Comparing information across multiple tabs
- Supporting tasks like product research and analyzing reviews
- Organizing content without leaving current page
What is the “Ask Gemini” Feature?
The Chrome side panel feature comes with the “Ask Gemini” toolbar to the Chrome browser. Google introduced the toolbar after expanding Gemini in Chrome to more regions and languages. The “Ask Gemini” toolbar appears on the Chrome browser when a user highlights text on a webpage.
Once a user clicks on “Ask Gemini” on Chrome, shortcuts for Share, Copy, and a three-dot menu are displayed. Clicking on the shortcuts automatically activates a side panel and the highlighted text is copied and pasted into the panel.
Users can access the “Settings” and “Hide for this site” shortcuts by tapping the three-dot menu. Tapping the “Settings” button redirects users to the standard settings page on Chrome while the “Hide for this site” keeps the toolbar from displaying the specified websites.
What Does the New Gemini Side Panel Mean for Google?
The new Gemini side panel and the “Ask Gemini” toolbar highlight Google’s broader strategy of embedding AI across its ecosystem. By bringing Gemini AI directly into Chrome, Google is making AI assistance a native part of everyday web browsing. This move could strengthen user engagement within Google’s products while positioning Gemini as a central productivity tool in the company’s growing AI ecosystem.
