Khaberni - Google continues to reshape the browsing experience within Chrome browser, this time through testing a new feature based on artificial intelligence, which could ultimately eliminate the need to highlight texts or images before asking questions about any web page.
The new feature is currently appearing in the experimental Chrome Canary version, aimed at making interaction with artificial intelligence smoother and more immediate, with just a single click anywhere on the page.
According to DigitalTrends tech site, no longer does right-clicking and choosing Search with Google Lens lead the user to the traditional Lens experience which requires selecting part of the page.
Instead, a small floating bar appears at the top of the page titled "Ask about this page," and it displays a live preview of what is on screen, without any additional steps or settings.
The new bar is not imposed on the user; it can easily be closed by clicking anywhere else on the page, but at the same time, it retains the full context of the page, allowing questions to be asked of artificial intelligence without the need to move to the address bar or lose focus while browsing.
According to DigitalTrends report, this mechanism makes interaction smoother, especially while reading or browsing through lengthy content.
Capturing the entire page
The new feature relies on automatically capturing the entire page, which facilitates asking general questions, requesting a summary, or getting clarifications about the content, without needing to specify certain texts.
When starting an interaction with the bar, the user is immediately switched to AI Mode within Chrome's sidebar.
Inside the sidebar, Chrome displays several tabs including:
AI Mode
All
Exact matches
Products
Visual matches
These tabs combine artificial intelligence responses and traditional search results, in an attempt to integrate both approaches into one comprehensive experience, according to DigitalTrends.
The new feature is faster and easier
In the older version of Google Lens, the user had to first select the text or the part to inquire about, which was a hindrance during fast browsing.
Now, Chrome assumes the page is relevant automatically, then allows the user to refine or customize the question later, making the interaction closer to a natural and immediate response, instead of planning questions in advance.
What is Google testing next?
The feature is still in the Canary experimental phase, and Google has not yet announced when it will be officially launched on a wide scale.
But the direction is clear, as the company aims to make the smart assistant an integral and direct part of the browsing experience inside Chrome, instead of being a hidden tool within the menus.
The real challenge, according to DigitalTrends report, is whether the floating Lens bar will transition to the general version of the browser with clear control tools and an option to disable it.
Only then will it be determined whether the feature will turn into a useful daily shortcut for users, or just an experimental experiment that may not prove successful in the long term.
