Google Chrome Gets AI Mode Update With Side-by-Side Browsing, Contextual Search Tools

Google announced upgrades to AI Mode in Google Chrome on Thursday. As per the Mountain View-based tech giant, the new features in the browser are aimed at making search more fluid and context-aware. Google is integrating search and browsing more closely. This allows users to interact with web pages and AI-generated responses side-by-side. With the latest changes, AI Mode will also be able to pull up context from multiple sources for more contextual responses.

Chrome's Side-by-Side Browsing Could Help Maintain Focus

Users accessing AI Mode in Chrome on a laptop or desktop computer can now open webpages alongside the search interface, Google said in a blog post. They can read a page, compare information, and ask follow-up questions without losing context.

For example, while searching for a product such as a coffee maker, users can open a retailer's website in a split view and simultaneously ask AI Mode questions like ease of maintenance or performance. The tech giant says this system uses both on-page context and broader web data to generate responses for a more continuous research experience on the web.

Google claims that early testers found the side-by-side interface useful for maintaining focus, especially when working through long articles or videos.

For informational queries, similarly, they will now be able to explore multiple sources without breaking their flow. AI Mode can provide contextual answers while users browse related pages in parallel, irrespective of whether they are reading about topics like motorsports teams or more technical subjects.

Apart from this, Google is also expanding AI Mode's ability to pull context from multiple sources. This includes open tabs, images, and documents. Users can access a new + menu in the Chrome search interface to add recent tabs or files to their query for more contextual searches.

Giving an example, the company added that those researching travel options can include multiple open tabs and ask for recommendations based on them. Similarly, students can combine lecture notes, PDFs, and web pages for more tailored explanations or examples when studying. The new Search experience in Google Chrome also adds AI Mode tools like Canvas and image generation into more parts of the browser for easy access.

All the aforementioned features are currently rolling out in the US and are expected to expand to more regions in the coming months.