When you work in Chrome while moving between multiple tabs and windows, the flow often gets interrupted. We looked for a way to solve this more simply and efficiently.
On the morning of the 20th, Charmaine D'Silva, head of product for Google Chrome, said this during an online briefing. Following D'Silva's explanation, I clicked the Ask Gemini button at the top right of the web version of Chrome. Instead of opening a separate window, the Gemini panel appeared on the right while keeping the existing screen in place.
With a 25-minute YouTube video open, this time I typed to Gemini, "Summarize the video." After a moment, Gemini broke the video into sections and showed only the key points. Next to each sentence, a timestamp appeared that, when clicked, jumps directly to that moment.
Google Korea said it launched the Gemini in Chrome feature in Asia, including Korea, starting at 7 a.m. on the 21st. It follows North America in January and India, New Zealand and Canada in March, making it the third rollout.
The feature is based on the latest model, Gemini 3.1, and can be used immediately with a Chrome update, without a separate installation. It applies to the web-based Chrome and iOS. On Android, Gemini is already integrated and has been available.
The core of the update is the integration of Chrome and Gemini. Previously, to use Gemini you had to visit a separate webpage, then switch back and forth with the tab you were working in or manually split the screen. Now, with a single click, Gemini runs on the right side of the current screen in a split view.
In particular, it goes beyond a simple search assistant to strengthen its role as an artificial intelligence (AI) agent. Gemini provides real-time search and summaries based on the webpage the user is viewing. For example, when booking a flight, instead of checking every flight on the reservation site, you can type a command like "Compare schedules and prices," and it will organize the results in a table.
Integration with Google services is another feature. Gemini can use information linked to Google Calendar and Gmail. If you ask it to check your schedule, it pulls events saved in Google Calendar to find available dates, then recommends flights that meet the conditions. If you then ask, "Send this to my family," it links with Gmail to draft and send an email in one go. Users can complete the entire flow—from search to booking to sharing—on a single screen without switching tabs. D'Silva said, "We are also considering integration with third-party apps going forward."
Images can also be used. With the "nano banana" mode, you can import the image you are currently viewing as is and edit it. For example, if you ask to change only the overall interior mood while keeping certain furniture based on a bedroom photo, the image is reconstructed to match the request. You can see the results directly in the browser without going through a separate editing program.
The update is seen as a strategy to respond to competition in AI web browsers. As major corporations such as OpenAI and Perplexity rolled out AI-based browsers last year to target the market, Google appears to be responding by integrating Gemini into Chrome.
In the global web browser market, Chrome's share stands at around 60% to 70%, far ahead of No. 2. Based on this, some analysts say the strategy is to make the browser itself the key entry point for AI services amid a shift in user search behavior from portal-centered to AI-based exploration.