Google Chromeis one of a few places that has been spared from the company’sAI efforts such as Bard, but it won’t stay that way for long. The developers are preparing some AI features such as a way to intelligently order your tabs for you, and they are making big strides to get the option ready to launch. A new AI settings section was only spotted recently, and now, we’re seeing a few more building blocks falling into place to get AI-powered tab organization ready for launch.
Some building blocks have been available for Chrome’s upcoming tab organization feature for a while now. With the latest tweak, it’s clear that the developers are getting ready to launch it soon, though. Chrome expert Leopeva64 shared a new loading animation for the featureon X (formerly Twitter)that’s right in line with other generative AI options in Google Search. When hitting a hiddenorganize tabsright-click menu entry, the tab switcher interface will show up with its Organize Tabs window opened. In it, the new animation heavily hints at AI working on the organization.
Keep in mind that these tab group organization features have yet to roll out, and they are currently still hidden behind developer flags. Right now, Leopeva64 doesn’t get any results with the option, as Google likely has to activate some server-side hooks. Instead, there is only a “Something went wrong” warning, further stating that “Tab organization is currently unavailable.”
As reported earlier, Google Chrome is working on a new “Advanced” settings pane, with its URL tellingly sitting onchrome://settings/ai. In it, Leopeva64 spotted a total of three entries so far over the past few weeks, as theydocumented on X. Initially, the menu only included anAutofill helpertoggle, but it has since been joined by aContext menu tab groupand anExpanded theme galleryoption.
While the second option will turn on or off the AI-powered tab organization, the expanded theme gallery seems to be in charge of adding extra Chrome customization. It’s possible that the browser will get AI-generated wallpapers, just like Pixel phones onAndroid 14. Meanwhile, the autofill helper could make it easier to correctly autofill fields, which can sometimes be a lackluster experience. According to Leopeva64, this tool might even make it possible to help you write, with them initially spotting it as aComposetool.
It seems like Google may not have meant tab organization to be an AI feature initially. Previous under-development versions of the feature were already functional for Leopeva64, so it’s possible that Google changed its approach in the process to use AI instead. So far, it’s also unclear if a similar feature will make its way to Chrome for Android, where it might be equally useful.
