Google recently unveiled its new Auto Browse AI feature that integrates with its Google Chrome browser. Think of a self-driving car, but for your internet browser. In Auto Browse, an AI agent takes the driver's seat using a tab in Chrome to explore the internet at your direction.
Other AI agents exist that browse the internet, but Auto Browse marks Google's biggest public-facing entry into this arena. Auto Browse fully integrates with your browser and across Google’s other services, undertaking tasks such as searching your calendar and email and using information contained there to complete other tasks.
For educators, the tool is, at least in theory, well-placed to do things such as complete spreadsheets, help with travel plans, lesson planning, and finding teaching resources and materials.
In practice, after experimenting with Auto Browse, I didn’t find it to be a revolutionary step over existing AI services, though its integration with Gmail and Google Calendar was pretty seamless and impressive.
Here’s a closer look at Auto Browse.
What is Auto Browse?
Auto Browse is the latest and greatest AI agent tool from Google that works with Gemini. The idea is that you can use it to open Google Chrome tabs for you and complete tedious web tests in autopilot.
That being said, there are some caveats. As soon as you start using Auto Browse, a warning appears saying, “You are responsible for Gemini's actions during tasks.” I found this kind of unsettling. What if my AI agent starts ordering pizzas, convinced (probably correctly) that that would be the best way to keep me happy?
Because you are ultimately responsible, you have the option to take control of the browser. But sitting there watching what Auto Browse is doing really defeats the purpose of using it in the first place.
Additionally, cybersecurity experts say Auto Browse and other AI agents are at risk for “prompt injection attacks,” malicious instructions hidden on websites that can trick AI agents into putting your computer or accounts at risk.
That said, Auto Browse does have some cool features that some teachers, particularly AI enthusiasts, will love.
How Much Does Auto Browse Cost?
Auto Browse is available for subscribers to Google AI Pro ($20 per month) and Ultra ($250 per month).
I subscribed to Google AI Pro to gain access. The interface is fairly user-friendly. You can activate it by clicking on the Gemini option in the right-hand corner of Chrome, which opens the Gemini AI sidebar. You can then ask Gemini to open Auto Browse within that, or it will open automatically depending on your query.
How Helpful Is Auto Browse?
For this story, I asked Auto Browse to undertake a series of education-related tasks, including looking for an Airbnb for me in Boston when I attend an academic conference, looking for open academic positions, and generating some teaching materials based on old talks I gave.
On the whole, the performance was mixed. I was impressed by how the AI agent was able to look up the date I was going to be in Boston from my Google Calendar, and could search my email for contacts I’d communicated with on certain topics. But in some other areas, it fell short. It did not help me find an Airbnb rental, for instance. Though it provided a list of potential rentals that fit the criteria I had given it, the links to these rentals provided by the AI did not work. I was able to find the properties it had discussed by searching for them myself, but that defeated the purpose.
More impressive was the response to my query asking it to find specific types of writing professor jobs available in New England. It created a nice list of all the jobs and what was required to apply for each. This was pretty cool, but other than this, I had trouble finding tasks I wanted done that Auto Browse was uniquely qualified to help with.
That aside, I was impressed with the AI integration of Gemini with other Google products, including Gmail. I use a personal Gmail account, but could see using Gemini to do quick searches of things “every student who had a question for me over the past week . . . .” Or every student who asked about a specific assignment. Gemini was really strong at completing these types of queries and it didn't even need to go into Auto Browse mode for many of these.
Bottom Line: Is Auto Browse Worth Exploring As A Teacher?
Auto Browse has a lot of potential and is fun to experiment with, but it’s not superbly useful. It does indeed act as a personal assistant as it's supposed to, just a personal assistant that’s not particularly good at its job.
Nonetheless, I have hope that it could get better as time goes on, and I might get more ideas of how best to use it. Ultimately, educators who are obsessed with the latest and greatest in AI should take a look, but others may want to wait until the technology matures a bit.
