Chrome AI Mode Expands
Google expanded Chrome’s AI Mode into a split‑screen interface that can browse and chat side‑by‑side and reportedly search across open tabs, plus added local in‑stock product search and hotel‑price tracking. The feature reframes the browser as an assistant surface that can observe multiple open contexts at once. (Indian Express, (techcrunch.com))
Google has expanded AI Mode in Chrome so people can keep a chat open next to a webpage instead of bouncing between tabs. (support.google.com) Google’s Chrome help page says AI Mode can run in a side panel or full tab view and lets users “search and chat” about open tabs or files. Indian Express reported on April 17 that the new split-screen view is live in the United States first, with a broader rollout planned later. (support.google.com, indianexpress.com) Google also added a way to pull recent tabs into AI Mode searches from the New Tab page or the AI Mode plus menu, according to Search Engine Land. That means the assistant can answer with the context of several pages at once instead of just one query. (searchengineland.com) AI Mode is Google Search’s chat-style interface, built to answer a question, take follow-ups, and link back out to the web. Chrome turns that search product into something closer to a browser companion that can watch what is already open on screen. (support.google.com, support.google.com) The timing fits Google’s broader push to make Chrome an artificial intelligence surface, not just a place to load websites. In the past month, Google also rolled out split view for two sites in one Chrome window, and this week it said Gemini in Chrome was getting a new side-panel experience on MacOS, Windows, and Chromebook Plus devices. (blog.google, support.google.com, blog.google) Google tied the Chrome changes to new shopping and travel features inside AI Mode and Search. TechCrunch reported on April 17 that AI Mode in the United States will start helping users check whether products are in stock at nearby stores in the coming weeks, while Search now lets users track prices for individual hotels. (techcrunch.com, 9to5google.com) Those additions put Chrome, Search, shopping, and travel planning into the same workflow. A person comparing products or planning a trip can keep source pages open, ask follow-up questions, and set price alerts without leaving Google’s tools. (support.google.com, techcrunch.com, 9to5google.com) The immediate pitch is less tab-hopping. The larger shift is that Chrome is being rebuilt to read across multiple open contexts at once and answer from there, with Google deciding how much of the web gets summarized before a user clicks through. (support.google.com, searchengineland.com, support.google.com)
