Spotted by sites like WindowsLatest and X (formerly Twitter) user @Leopeva64, Chrome’s Canary build — Google’s testing version for experimental web features — includes a new option called “Contextual tasks.” It can be enabled using hidden flags within Chrome’s settings. Once turned on, it adds a new entry under the “More Tools” menu.
When activated, the feature opens a sidebar panel, though it’s currently broken and only displays a partially rendered interface. Despite this, it strongly resembles Microsoft Edge’s Copilot sidebar from 2023, suggesting both aim to achieve the same goal — embedding AI assistance directly into the browser.
This early test shows that Google is actively working to integrate Gemini more deeply into Chrome, potentially paving the way for full agentic browsing in future updates, something they’ve discussed in a blog post last month.
What agentic browsing actually means for Chrome users
Agentic browsing might sound like a new, trendy term — and it’s certainly one that’s being thrown around a lot in the AI space lately. Essentially, it means an AI tool like Gemini will be able to do things for you, such as ordering food, doing your shopping, or booking appointments.
To make it work, however, Gemini will rely on your personal data — including browsing history and activity — to assist with these tasks. That naturally raises privacy concerns, something that remains an ongoing issue across the wider AI industry.
Google is clearly putting in the legwork to build the infrastructure needed for AI to interact directly with web pages and tabs. This means Chrome could eventually fill out forms, navigate between sites, and switch tabs to complete whatever task you ask it to.
Edge Copilot already has “AI” browsing
Microsoft Edge (my browser of choice) is already experimenting with agentic browsing through its Copilot mode. This feature can view all open tabs — with your permission — and assist with tasks like comparing products or summarizing websites.
Alongside this, there’s also Edge’s Actions, which lets users tell Copilot to perform specific tasks. It’s still limited in what it can do right now, but it clearly shows what agentic browsing is working toward — a future where your browser can handle everyday online tasks for you.
The road ahead — privacy, control, and the risks for the web
Whilst handing off our menial tasks to AI sounds promising, it still raises a few concerns — privacy being a big one. These systems will rely on your saved account data and browsing activity to automate tasks, which could easily make some users uncomfortable.
Another concern is how automation could reshape the internet itself. If shopping, browsing, and other activities become fully automated, it could affect how websites generate traffic and revenue. It remains to be seen what kind of long-term impact this will have, but only time will tell.
Right now, Edge is ahead of the curve, making use of OpenAI’s models to power its Copilot mode, while Google continues testing with its own Gemini AI. Personally, I’m not sold yet. I love using Edge, but I hope Microsoft doesn’t force these AI features into the experience or make them unavoidable. The same goes for Chrome.
It’s hard to imagine a future where we don’t browse for ourselves anymore, instead just asking an AI to do it for us. Yet, it seems increasingly clear this is the kind of future companies like Google and Microsoft are aiming for.
This isn't a future I’m particularly interested in. While I believe AI has its uses, I hope people will still want some semblance of control.
The idea of AI taking care of unwanted or repetitive tasks is appealing. But if it comes at the cost of performance or becomes too intrusive, I’ll be sticking with something simpler and less in my face.
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