In a move aimed at completely reshaping the internet browsing experience, Google unveiled a massive and pivotal update on Thursday regarding the “Chrome AI mode” in its popular browser. This update introduces side-by-side dual browsing capabilities, along with multi-source search functions. These new features are primarily designed to eliminate the frustrating and constant problem of switching back and forth between numerous tabs, an issue that has long been a prominent and disruptive characteristic of modern web research and discovery.
This important update was announced by Robbie Stein and Mike Torres, vice presidents of product management at the company, through an official post on the company blog. The new update has already begun rolling out immediately to users in the United States across both desktop and mobile versions of the browser, with confirmed plans to expand its availability to users worldwide in the near future.
Dual browsing: keeping AI at the center of the experience
Dual browsing, or the new split-pane experience on the desktop version, is the cornerstone of this update. Previously, a user was forced to leave their chat conversation page with the AI whenever they clicked on any link. Now, however, the moment a user clicks a link while “Chrome AI mode” is active, the new web page opens in a side panel adjacent to the AI chat box instead of replacing it or opening in a new tab that hides the previous page.
This innovation allows users, for example, to browse a retailer’s product page or read a detailed news article while continuing to ask follow-up questions and maintain the discussion with the intelligent assistant without losing context or having to take a step backward.
Commenting during a media event held this week, as reported by the website Droid Life, the company stated: “We are helping people dive deeper into various topics while searching using AI alongside regular web browsing, all completely seamlessly without losing their place or needing to deal with the annoying switching between scattered tabs.” This statement reflects the company’s vision of making the discovery experience more focused, productive, and efficient in terms of time and effort.
Comprehensive search across tabs, files, and images
The second major addition in this update is the new plus-sign menu, which is now available in the search box on the new tab page as well as inside the AI interface. Through this menu, users can simply select and choose tabs they have recently opened and add them directly to their search query.
This means the intelligent system is now capable of analyzing content and extracting information from multiple web pages simultaneously, yielding more comprehensive and accurate answers that cover diverse dimensions of the topic being researched.
The capabilities of this menu are not limited to text or web pages alone; it also supports blending different types of inputs. Users can now mix open tabs, images, and even local files stored on their devices, such as PDF files, to build search queries rich in context and complex information. Furthermore, the company has made its advanced creative tools accessible, including art generation and image generation tools, through the same interactive menu.
Gemini 3 Flash engine and the memory consumption tax
This advanced experience relies entirely on the capabilities of the modern “Gemini 3 Flash” artificial intelligence model. However, as is often the case with advanced technologies, these features come with a noticeable cost regarding system resources. The prominent tech site Tom’s Guide noted in its review and practical testing of the new update that the multi-tab search feature imposes heavy memory consumption.
Tests showed that linking 10 active tabs together in a single query can add between 2 to 4 gigabytes of RAM consumption even before the AI model begins processing and analyzing the data. This places an additional burden on devices, requiring users to mind their hardware resources when combining a large number of sources.
From simple browser to integrated research assistant
This groundbreaking update completes a series of continuous improvements and developments focused heavily on integrating intelligent technologies into the browser over recent months. On April 14th, the company launched a skills feature allowing users to save reusable AI queries and prompts, and earlier this month, the vertical tabs feature was introduced.
The automated browsing agent feature was also introduced in January for advanced plan subscribers. Taken together, these changes clearly reflect the company’s strategy of embedding conversational technologies directly into the core of browsing rather than treating them as a separate destination, elevating the browser’s position to become the smartest assistant for every researcher.
FAQ
What are the most prominent features of the new Google Chrome update?
The update brings two main features: dual browsing, which allows users to open web links side-by-side with the AI chat window without leaving it, and multi-source search, which lets users combine tabs, images, and local files into a single search query.
Are the new AI features available to everyone?
The immediate rollout of this update has begun for users in the United States on both desktop and mobile versions, and the company has confirmed plans to expand the availability of these features to all users globally in the near future.
What is the impact of the new feature on device performance and memory consumption?
Because these features rely on the “Gemini 3 Flash” engine, practical tests showed that linking a large number of sources noticeably consumes device resources. For example, including 10 active tabs in a single search query can lead to an additional consumption ranging between 2 to 4 gigabytes of RAM.
