From the article archive. Published 2026-02-06; product details and availability may have changed.
Editorially revised October 17, 2026. Original publication date retained.
Browser-based AI is worth testing where your team already spends time: reading, comparing information and preparing a recommendation. Start with one recurring task and check whether the assistance reduces the total work, including review.
What Google announced
In its January 28, 2026 announcement, Google introduced a persistent Gemini side panel and described auto browse for multi-step tasks. At launch, auto browse was a U.S. preview for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers. Google said it was designed to request confirmation for actions such as purchases and social posts.
That announcement describes the launch, not a guarantee of what every account can use today. Check the feature in your own approved browser and account before planning a workflow around it.
Start with a comparison your team already makes
Google's current help guide describes summarizing pages and comparing information across shared tabs. It also explains eligibility, rollout limits and administrator-controlled access for work accounts.
Our recommendation: open a few public supplier pages and ask for a comparison against criteria you have written yourself. Keep the source pages available. Check each material claim before using the comparison in a recommendation.
Measure the work after review
Run the same task with and without assistance. Record the time to a usable result, the corrections required and anything the tool missed. A quick first draft is only useful if the person reviewing it can reach a reliable answer with less effort.
- Choose one repeatable task with a clear owner.
- Use material your team is authorized to share.
- Check the output against the original pages.
- Compare total effort, including verification and rework.
Keep authority with the person responsible
Reading public information and acting inside a signed-in business account require different decisions. Agree the permitted accounts, data and actions before testing automation. Keep a person responsible for reviewing recommendations and approving consequential actions.
Bring the result to your process owner. If the test helps, decide what to repeat and how to measure it. If it adds more checking than it saves, change the task or stop.
Need help choosing a bounded test? Use our guide to choosing your first AI pilot.