‘The new era of browsing’: Major Google change for Aussie users

It is hard to imagine life without web browsers, those global entry points to the internet’s bottomless well of information.

And now Google Chrome – the largest and most popular browser by far – has launched what it called “the new era of browsing” in Australia and the Asia-Pacific. From today, Gemini AI* will be integrated across platforms like Google Search, Drive, YouTube, Calendar, Maps and more.

Instead of opening a new tab and feeding it all the relevant information, users can now click on a simple star icon in the top right hand corner to open a side panel and chat with Google’s powerful AI assistant, Gemini 3.1.

WHY WILL INTEGRATING GEMINI 3.1 CHANGE BROWSING?
For decades, internet users have learned the hard way that you needed the right search terms to get the right answer. But this integration of Gemini into the Google browser will transform access to information systems.

Google Chrome director of product management Charmaine D’Silva told news.com.au that the change allowed Googlers to use their natural way of speaking when searching for information.

“You can ask questions like, ‘Explain this to me,’ and the reference of what ‘this’ is completely understood by the model because it’s looking at the same page you are,” she said.

“I think the unlocking of AI — actually having people speak in natural language — is the best unlock ever.

“It allows you to just ramble along, ask a really long query, and it will still get it right. Honestly, the longer the query, the better the responses tend to be. It’s fascinating to see that shift.”

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Ms D’Silva demonstrated three examples of how the new tool could be used, including showing news.com.au Gemini’s ability to instantly “read” and comprehend different media types within an active browser tab, combining a technical research article, a 27-minute YouTube interview and an image received in a text message without context.

Another example helped Ms D’Silva plan a family holiday to Singapore.

Gemini combined travel package comparisons on a web page with “personal intelligence”(saved instructions about the user) to create a holiday that aligned with family interests and availability, then drafted a summary email to her husband.

In another test, Ms D’Silva demonstrated image generation model Nano Banana 2, which is built into the Gemini 3.1 program.

While shopping online for furniture, she found a bed frame she liked, but the surrounding room in the photo didn’t match her taste. Ms D’Silva prompted Gemini to “Make this room more bohemian*, but keep the bed frame the same”.

The AI analysed the image and redesigned the interior of the room in the side panel to match her personal style, keeping the exact bed frame she wanted to buy but altering the surrounding decor.

Beyond shopping and travel, Aussies can also draft and send emails via Gmail, or schedule calendar events, without leaving the web page they’re currently reading, because Gemini is already integrated within Google’s wider ecosystem.

WHAT LIMITS ARE IN PLACE?
But the tool operates as an assistant, not as a replacement for the web itself.

It won’t independently browse sites or complete complex actions like booking flights.

And some features, like Incognito* mode support and deeper integrations with personal data, remain limited or will be rolled out gradually.

Safeguards* are also in place. The system won’t answer certain sensitive questions, particularly around health, and includes protections against scams*, malicious* prompts and unsafe actions.

WHAT PROMPTED THE CHANGE?
Ms D’Silva said the AI integration came from looking at how people used the web and their preferred browser.

“We saw that people were going back and forth between multiple different tabs and multiple windows to get really, really simple tasks done,” she said.

“With that, we also saw that people actually abandoned a lot of tasks because they found them to be really complicated. And so when we saw how people were using the web, we thought about how we could actually make it much more useful and simple to use as well.”

Ms D’Silva said that observation led them to question whether every user could actually have a personal assistant to help them navigate and get things done on the web.

“This got us to actually build out Gemini in Chrome, with the challenge of taking tasks that would take 20 different tabs and 20 different minutes, and condense them to a single tab where people can complete a task in just a few minutes,” she said.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• Gemini AI: a group of multimodal large language models (LLMs) from Google DeepMind that can understand and combine different types of information, including text, images, audio, video, and software code. Gemini is the artificial intelligence engine and interface for Google’s generative AI chatbot and competes with other LLM technologies like OpenAI’s ChatGPT
• bohemian: a person, object or style that is unconventional, alternative, artistic and carefree, often with a disregard for rules and social structures
• incognito: avoiding being recognised, by changing your name or appearance
• safeguards: protections, laws, rules, or measures intended to prevent someone or something from being harmed
• scams: a dishonest or illegal plan or activity, especially. one for making money
• malicious: intending to cause harm, especially by hurting someone’s feelings, security, livelihood or reputation

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QUICK QUIZ

1. What AI software has been integrated into Google Chrome om Australia and the Asia-Pacific?
2. Can you name at least five Google platforms that will now offer the in-built tool to users?
3. The simple graphic to open the AI assistant is shaped like what?
4. What is Gemini 3.1’s image generation model called?
5. What won’t the virtual assistant do and what safeguards are in place?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Artificial intelligence in schools
Should students use AI like this new Gemini 3.1 in classrooms?

Debate this topic with a classmate and write your arguments For and Against.

Should students use AI tools like Gemini 3.1 in schools?

FOR

AGAINST

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Digital Technologies, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
Do you think using all this AI technology will decrease the intelligence of humans over time?

Describe your reasons for or against.

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Digital Technologies, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.

Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.

Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?

Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.