AI browsers are everywhere right now. Perplexity has Comet. OpenAI has Atlas. Even smaller players are trying to reinvent how we find and use information online. I’ve tested all of them this year, and they each have clever uses, especially for people who want conversational answers instead of sorting through dozens of tabs.
ChatGPT Atlas is designed to replace traditional search with fast, conversational answers and deep, synthesized reasoning. It can analyze webpages, summarize long documents and pull in real-time information directly inside the browser interface, acting like an AI research assistant.
Similarly, Perplexity’s Comet delivers conversational search results with cited sources, live web data and clean, structured explanations.
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Gemini 3 now powers a new AI Mode in Google Search — and because most of us (3.83 billion internet users) use Chrome by default, those capabilities show up right where we already spend our time. No switching to a different browser. No new interface to learn. No rebuilding an entire digital workflow from scratch.
Here’s what Gemini 3 can actually do inside Chrome today and why it covers nearly every major feature that AI browsers are trying to sell.
1. Gemini 3 gives Search deeper reasoning — right inside Chrome
(Image credit: Google Search Labs)
AI Mode in Google Search now uses Gemini 3’s advanced reasoning abilities.
When you ask a complex question, Search automatically breaks it down into smaller sub-queries, finds relevant sources and synthesizes everything into a clear answer.
For Chrome users this means more contextually aware responses and better structureD explanations. It also means fewer irrelevant links dominating the page and the ability to ask follow-up questions without restarting your search. This is the core feature AI browsers advertise, yet now it’s built directly into the search engine Chrome already uses.
2. Chrome now supports multimodal search powered by Gemini 3
(Image credit: Google)
Since it’s launch, Gemini 3 brings a major upgrade to how Search understands information. It can now interpret images you upload including screenshots, photos of objects and text combined with visual content.
While Perplexity and Atlas support some multimodal features, Google Search has a huge advantage: it’s built on top of Lens, global search data, and Google’s existing systems.
Multimodal search works on mobile and desktop through Search; there’s no need for a separate AI browser window to do the same thing.
3. Real-time camera search (mobile) lets Gemini 3 analyze things you point at
(Image credit: Google)
This is one of the most impressive new features. On mobile devices, you can activate AI Mode in Search and share your camera feed in real time. Gemini 3 can analyze what it sees, answer questions, identify objects, explain steps or troubleshoot issues.
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This is Search with live vision, and AI browsers don’t currently offer anything comparable.
While this feature is mobile-only for now, it still lives inside Search, meaning you access it through Chrome without switching tools.
4. Webpage summaries and insights are now native in Search
(Image credit: Google)
AI browsers often highlight webpage summaries as their standout feature, but Gemini 3 brings the same capability directly into Search.
You can ask:
“Summarize this page”
“Give me the key points”
“Explain this step by step”
Search generates a condensed, structured overview based on the actual page content, using the same AI that powers AI Overviews. And because it’s Google, you also get clear citations and links to the sources behind the summary.
Again, no need for a new browser. It’s all built into Chrome’s default search experience.
5. Planning tasks and multi-step reasoning work naturally in Chrome
Gemini 3 isn’t just summarizing pages. AI Mode can handle more structured tasks, like:
- Planning a trip
- Creating a recipe timeline
- Comparing products
- Drafting research outlines
- Breaking down tutorials
This is one of the big selling points of Perplexity Comet, yet Gemini 3 offers the same workflow directly in Search, which you already use every day. Instead of switching to another AI tool, just use what you have because the Gemini 3 upgrades have made it smarter.
6. Chrome keeps everything an AI browser can’t replace
(Image credit: Google)
Even the most polished AI browser struggles with one big problem: you have to abandon the browser you already live in. What I mean is, all your bookmarks are probably already in Chrome. When you download a new AI browser, you have to switch those over. And it’s not just bookmarks, you’ll also have to switch your extensions, your autofill and passwords, your synced history, your tab workflow, your profiles and your workspace integrations.
Gemini 3 upgrades your existing setup instead of asking you to start over in a new environment. That’s a massive advantage for me. And one that’s easy to underestimate until you try moving everything to another browser.
7. Gemini 3 appears everywhere you already use Google — not in a silo
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)
Anothre reason, at least for me, AI browsers suddenly feel less essential. Gemini 3 shows up across:
- Search in Chrome
- the Gemini app
- Android system features
- Google Workspace apps (with more coming)
It’s ambient across the Google ecosystem, instead of locked inside a standalone browser window. AI browsers require you to go to them. Gemini 3 meets you where you already are.
Bottom line
What’s that saying, “Don’t fix it if it isn’t broken?” That’s the way I feel about Google. Sure, AI browsers like Perplexity Comet and OpenAI Atlas are pushing the industry forward, and they deserve credit; they helped make conversational search mainstream. But with Gemini 3 powering AI Mode in Search, Chrome has effectively become an AI browser without forcing anyone to download something new.
If you already live in Chrome, Gemini 3 gives you the same conversational answers, deep synthesis, multimodal reasoning and planning tools, all in the browser you’re using anyway.
For me, that’s the deciding factor: I don’t need a new browser because Chrome continues to have everything I need, plus it’s now smarter with AI.
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