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Google has officially begun rolling out its Gemini AI assistant within the Chrome browser to Chromebook Plus laptops. This marks a significant expansion, as the feature was previously available only on desktop platforms like Windows and macOS. For the time being, this rollout is exclusive to the United States.
The announcement corrects a notable omission from Google’s initial launch. Despite Chrome being the namesake of Google’s operating system, ChromeOS was curiously left out when Gemini was first integrated into the browser last year. The current rollout is specifically designed for the Chromebook Plus line, which is Google’s premium tier of ChromeOS devices.
Why Google is Now Focusing on Chromebook Plus
This focus on Chromebook Plus models is a strategic choice. These laptops have been marketed with a strong emphasis on AI-powered capabilities designed to differentiate them from standard Chromebooks. Google’s blog post announcing the feature did not clarify if or when Gemini might come to non-Plus Chromebooks.
The functionality of Gemini in Chrome on these devices mirrors the experience on other platforms. The integration works identically to the versions on Windows and macOS, providing a consistent user interface and set of features directly within the browser sidebar.
Google highlights the use of this update for both professional and educational contexts. It is intended to seamlessly integrate AI tools into daily browsing workflows, offering users the ability to quickly summarize web content, clarify complicated topics, or locate specific information based on their open tabs.
Beyond research assistance, Gemini offers creative and communicative functions. Users can leverage it to draft emails or social media posts, generate images, and even engage in two-way voice conversations through the Gemini Live feature, all without leaving their Chrome browser window.
Accessibility
Also, Google has noted that full visibility of the feature across all eligible devices may take a couple of weeks. It is available to a broad range of U.S. users, including personal Google account holders, Google Workspace individual subscribers, and all Google Workspace customers.
Finally, Google stated that the feature is enabled by default. This means Workspace admins who wish to restrict access to Gemini in Chrome for their users must proactively navigate to their admin console to manually disable the setting.
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