Google adds new AI upgrade to Chrome for faster searches – and you don’t have to type a word
GOOGLE searches are about to get a whole lot faster in Chrome with the arrival of a new feature.
The tool allows you to search for anything you see without needing to type a single word.
The tool has been around for sometime on Android and iPhone but it’s finally hopping across to the Chrome app for desktop, Google has announced.
It’s known as Google Lens – on mobile you can summon it within the Google app to find visual matches to photos you take or any images you have saved.
This is useful if you see a handbag you would like to buy but don’t know the brand or if you spot a monument on holiday you would like to know the name of.
The feature works with text too, picking out words and even translating them for you, which comes in handy with restaurant menus in other countries.
Google is now bringing the Lens magic to desktop computers via the popular Chrome browser.
“Google Lens has already made it simpler to search what you see on your phone,” Chrome vice president Parisa Tabriz wrote in a blog post.
“With the latest Chrome update rolling out over the next few days, we’re bringing the same capabilities from Google Lens directly to your desktop browser.”
In a similar way to the mobile version, Google Lens on Chrome lets you search for whatever you see on screen.
A new button will appear in the top right that allows you to select elements on display.
Google AI will then get to work finding matches on the internet.
A promo video shows that you can even select individual objects such as plants to find out what type it is.
You can then use AI Overview, Google’s new integrated AI tool, to ask follow up questions about it, for example, how much sunlight does the flower you’ve selected need.
However, AI Overview is only available in the US for the moment.
TAB COMPARE
Google Lens for Chrome isn’t the only change either – bosses have also announced a new tab compare feature.
The idea is designed to help when you’re shopping online and have too many tabs open to read reviews and research prices.
Tab compare aims to clean things up by bringing together an AI-generated overview of products from across multiple tabs, all in one place.
“Imagine you’re looking for a new Bluetooth portable speaker for an upcoming trip, but the product details and reviews are spread across different pages and websites,” Tabriz explained.
“Soon, Chrome will offer to generate a comparison table by showing a suggestion next to your tabs.
“By bringing all the essential details — product specs, features, price, ratings — into one tab, you’ll be able to easily compare and make an informed decision without the endless tab switching.”
However, this feature will only be available in the US for the moment.
Another change also coming to the US first is the ability to search through your web history in a “conversational way” thanks to AI.
This means searching something like “What was that ice cream shop I looked at last week?” will find you the relevant web pages so you don’t have to trawl through lists.
HOW TO HIDE GOOGLE'S AI OVERVIEWS
AI Overviews is only available in the US for the moment.
If you’re not keen the feature there are two ways to hide it.
The official way is by using Google’s new Web filter on the search engine page.
This can be found within the “more” tab at the end of the top navigation bar.
Unfortunately you can’t make this the default, so you’ll have to select it each time.
However, there is an unofficial Chrome extension that someone created to hide the AI results.