Google transforms Chrome into an AI-powered workplace assistant

As part of its series of announcements at Google Cloud Next on Wednesday, the company revealed plans to introduce “auto browse” agentic capabilities to enterprise Chrome users, alongside strengthened security features.

With auto browse, Chrome users will be able to use Gemini to understand the live context of their open browser tabs and then rely on the AI to perform various workplace tasks such as booking travel, entering data, scheduling meetings, and other web-based work activities.

Google suggests that the tool could be used for tasks such as populating a company’s CRM system with information from a Google Doc, comparing vendor pricing across multiple tabs, summarising a candidate’s portfolio ahead of an interview, extracting key data from competitor product pages, and more.

The company emphasises that these workflows will still include a “human in the loop” approach, meaning users must review and confirm any AI-generated actions before they are finalised.

The goal, according to Google, is to reduce time spent on repetitive tasks and allow employees to focus more on what the company describes as “strategic work.”

This aligns with a broader promise from AI advocates that the technology will help people reclaim time. However, in practice, several studies suggest that AI may not reduce workload but instead increase it, raising questions about how this will ultimately affect enterprise environments. It also raises the possibility that managers may expect employees to complete more tasks in less time.

Google says the feature will initially roll out to Workspace users in the United States as part of its broader effort to integrate AI into one of the most widely used workplace tools—the web browser. The feature can be enabled through organisational policy, and Google states that company prompts will not be used to train its AI models. This clarification is increasingly common in the industry, especially as companies like Meta face scrutiny over the use of internal employee data, including keystrokes, for AI training.

Similar to the consumer version, Workspace users will be able to save frequently used workflows for later use. These workflows, called “Skills,” can be accessed by typing a forward slash (“/”) or clicking a plus icon to select the required Skill.

Alongside AI integration in Chrome, Google is also expanding its ability to detect unauthorised AI tools within workplaces through Chrome Enterprise Premium. The update allows IT teams to identify compromised browser extensions and monitor “anomalous agent activity” across their organisation.

Google positions this as a security enhancement, but it also strengthens its control over enterprise AI adoption by limiting the use of third-party AI agents that may be introduced informally within organisations. This reflects a shift similar to earlier waves of workplace technology, in which employees independently adopted tools such as cloud storage, collaboration platforms, and file-sharing services.

The new feature, referred to as “Shadow IT risk detection,” will give IT administrators visibility into both approved and unapproved generative AI and SaaS usage across their networks.

IT teams will also receive “Gemini Summary” reports in Chrome Enterprise that highlight release notes and AI-generated insights, including key updates, policy changes, upcoming deprecations, and recommended configuration adjustments.

In addition, Google announced an expanded partnership with Okta to enhance security for the agent-driven workplace, including protections against session hijacking and related threats. The company is also improving extension security controls and introducing Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) integration to help organisations enforce consistent security policies across systems.