I’m excited to experience the Gemini feature when it comes to Chrome

 A one-stop shop for all things Gemini and AI is at the top of my Google Chrome wishlist.

It appears Google has comprehensively integrated Gemini’s intelligence into its product suite, leveraging AI from smartphones to tablets and many apps in-between — how far off are we then reverse-engineering whatever components of the technology lay hidden within? But one notable exception is Google Chrome, which doesn't seem to get much Gemini love when it comes to a real integration.

For my part, I have long been annoyed at how smoothly Gemini is rolling out on Chrome for Mac and PC. Apart from that, its the delivery with which this rollout is happening which bugs me annoyingly.

On desktop, a Gemini side panel for Google Chrome

 The aim of AI is to simplify life and that's what Google is doing on the mobile side. Google Assistant Web Page Summarization on Mobile in Chrome How to Or just ask Gemini what you see on the screen using your phone. Gemini Extensions on mobile will also be more widely available, letting you interact with a wide variety of apps without any friction. Care for these options in the desktop Chrome? You’re out of luck.

Finding all AI features with the current state of Chrome is a treasure hunt.

In case anyone is wondering, this is the current Gemini web app state of affairs on desktop Chrome: Getting a summary of a webpage — e.g., their baseline feature set— requires me to call up an AI by typing @Gemini in the fine print menu right next to my profile icon and type or paste (manually) link of any article that I want summarized. Seriously, why the hell can Google not just get this right? I mean, seriously — all this extra bullshit and I just knowter how to do it? Surely, if AI is going to help make tasks like summarization easier at some point in future, then there has got to be a better foundation which can accommodate them other than our current Chrome for desktop.

In fact, the few other AI features that Google has this side of Chrome on desktop are all integrated in extreme ways with no regard towards user-friendliness. Applying Your Own AI Theme On Chrome To use it, you will need to open a new tab and click on the Customize Chrome button at the bottom right of window — an area that most people completely tune out when in their browser. Looking for something visual? It also has a nifty Google Lens integration — well, “nifty,” I say that lightly; it springs into action only when you click in the address bar or right-click an image here and there (or press some key combination if your Chrome is like my MacBook's). And a writing ingredient with writing tips but shows up only on right clicks in any text field. But why should I have to recall these unnecessary instructions to bring up such AI tools?

Google is staring at the solution in its face.

Last September, Google announced AI-driven Tab Compare and History Search for desktop Chrome. The former will give you an AI-generated summary card containing products that are related to search terms across tabs and the latter allows natural language queries in your browsing history. Those feature sound good to me, however I will bet you Google is going to hide them anywhere it wants within Android whenever they do arrive.

An official Gemini extension or side panel for Chrome is a no-brainer

What’s the solution for all of this? Well, it’s staring Google right in the face  create a single, unified home base for Gemini and all things AI in Chrome. I would give anything for an official Google-made Gemini extension or side panel for Chrome on desktop. It’s such a no-brainer.

Microsoft has already created something similar for Copilot on Edge. You can simply tap the Copilot button on the right corner of the Edge browser, and a side panel pops up, letting you summarize a webpage, ask questions about it, compare products you want to purchase, summarize PDFs, and more. I also love how you can just select any text in Edge, and it will give you a quick list of things you can do, including asking Copilot about that specific bit of text. These are features someone like me, who scours the web all day for work, could really use. I want all this in Chrome and more.

Imagine a Gemini side panel or extension seamlessly integrated into the Chrome browser, consolidating all AI features into one organized and accessible location. Such an enhancement would significantly improve the experience of using AI tools in the browser. Need a summary? Simply tap the extension. Want writing assistance? The Gemini extension would intelligently recognize a text field and offer relevant suggestions. Looking for a product comparison? Activate the Gemini side panel, and it will generate one for you. Want an AI-designed wallpaper? Just head to the Gemini sidebar and create it with ease.

Now, that’s intelligence I can get behind! This is the level of integration I envision for Gemini in Chrome — not the current state, which feels like navigating a treasure hunt through a disorganized array of limited features. What would be even better is if Google offered feature continuity for AI searches and queries between mobile and desktop versions of Chrome. Now, that would be truly intelligent.

If Microsoft can do it and third-party Chrome extension developers can do it, so can Google.

Now, why don’t I just use the countless Gemini extensions available in Chrome already, you ask? Well, because I don’t trust them. AI features on a browser require sharing some very sensitive information with the service provider. I can get on board with Google handling my data, but I don’t want some random developer having access to my browsing history or other personal identifiers.

So let’s make this happen, Google. Like me, there are others who want a similar experience in Chrome. It’s the world’s most used browser, and with Gemini going from strength to strength, it’s time to marry the two with a proper ceremony. No more making people guess how to make Gemini work on their desktop. No more making us wait for simple features like AI summaries. Just give us a Gemini side panel with the basics in place and keep adding all future AI features to it.