Gemini in Chrome

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Purpose and Audience

  • Some see Gemini-in-Chrome as mostly a way to pass the current page (incl. logged-in content) into an LLM—handy for summarizing or “modernized Ctrl+F.”
  • Others say they “don’t understand who this is for,” finding similar tools clunky and token-hungry (“I need to scroll up” loops).

Monopoly, Strategy, and Antitrust

  • Many view this as Google leveraging its Chrome/search monopoly to dominate the LLM market and capture vast new data streams.
  • Comparisons are made to Microsoft bundling IE; some speculate it’s a preemptive move against future orders to spin off Chrome.
  • Others argue Chrome’s dominance is mostly user choice and inertia, not just coercive bundling—though critics counter that courts have already found Google anticompetitive.

Privacy, Training Data, and Security

  • Strong concern that using Gemini on pages (banking, government, private dashboards) could funnel sensitive data into training or profiling.
  • Several note Google’s privacy language is broad (“maintain and improve our services”) and intentionally ambiguous; consumer Gemini lacks the clear “not used for training” guarantees found in Workspace.
  • People worry about:
    • Access to content of open tabs / page areas not visible.
    • LLM-based “vibe browsing” being exploitable for data exfiltration.
    • Account bans: one mistaken click on the wrong site potentially feeding automated policy systems.

User Control and Browser Choices

  • Repeated questions: “How do you turn it off?” Answers: chrome://settings/ai (where available) or switch to Firefox/Brave/Librewolf/etc.
  • Some expect the feature to be technically “disablable” while still running in the background; others say the real opt-out is abandoning Chrome.

Implementation and Usefulness

  • Many call the initial UI underwhelming: essentially a floating chat box with access only to the current tab, no real autonomous browsing or actions.
  • Defenders argue it’s a necessary first step at Google’s scale, with deeper “agentic” features likely coming via new Chromium orchestration APIs.

Impact on the Web and Browsing Future

  • Publishers/SEO worries: if Chrome/Google answers directly, clicks and ad revenue decline; sponsored results may be undercut by AI boxes.
  • Broader concern that AI-infused browsers will turn the open web into a TikTok-style, algorithmically curated (and eventually AI-generated) feed, tuned for engagement over user benefit.
  • Some wish instead for local, open models (e.g., a “Gemma in Chrome”) and highlight Firefox’s more on-device-centric AI approach.