Google Chrome should soon include a new AI-powered function. It will allow searches to be carried out based on the actual content of the sites visited, and no longer just their name.
In the race to dominate the generative artificial intelligence market, Google continues, little by little, to integrate AI into its various services. Obviously, its Chrome web browser is no exception. We had already spotted a little earlier, in the Canary version of the browser – the channel which allows developers and enthusiasts to test the new functions of the browser and give their opinion in order to improve them –, a Gemini shortcut in the toolbar. address allowing you to converse directly with the AI (see our article). A faster way to collect information, without scouring the Internet.
But the digital giant does not intend to stop there and is now tackling searches in browsing history. Searching for a web page that is days or weeks old can be frustrating, as it often involves sifting through a sea of visited URLs. In short, it’s mission impossible. But a new function, called “Historical search powered by AI”, has just been spotted in the Canary version of Chrome. And suffice to say that it changes everything, since it will allow pages to be searched based on their real content, and not just on the URL or the title. But this is not without raising some concerns about the protection of privacy and the use of data…
Historical research powered by AI: what about GDPR?
With this function, we will be able to carry out natural language queries to find the web pages consulted in the history, based on their real content. For example, if we search for the site which contained the title of a book that we really wanted, but which we can no longer remember, a simple description of the story will allow the AI to instantly find the pages corresponding in recent history. Clearly, the AI – probably Gemini – will search all the pages for the keywords that have been typed. Filtering options by date, category and others will help refine the search.
Still, entrusting your browsing history to Google’s AI raises questions about data confidentiality. Although the content of the pages is stored and encrypted locally, Google admits that historical searches, the content of the corresponding pages and the data generated by the AI can be consulted by the company and its teams to improve its intelligence models artificial. This raises questions about compliance with the GDPR…
Moreover, it is not certain that the European authorities appreciate this new function. We still remember the outcry caused by the Recall function of Microsoft’s Copilot AI, to the point that the Redmond firm was forced to make several radical changes. Result of the races: Recall will ultimately not be deployed to the general public when the Copilot+ PCs arrive (see our article). In short, it may take some time before the “AI-powered historical search” feature is deployed on the stable version of Chrome…