Google stuffs Chrome full of AI features whether you like it or not

conartist6 20 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I already switched to Firefox after manifest v3 but now I might have to uninstall Chrome... Call me Neo, but I don't want agents in my computer. Chromium should do nicely as a backup browser though. Not that it matters much anyway as I'm about ready to leave Windows for similar reasons: complete mismatch of core values leading development in a direction that to me makes the product worse and worse and worse

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mort96 19 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I wish switching to Firefox was a solution here, but Mozilla has been pushing these AI features hard for a while now.

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braebo 5 hours ago | parent [-]

Brave is a privacy-focused, de-googled chromium. It’s the best of both worlds. I never see anyone mention it here, so I’m a bit of a broken record explaining this to hn’ers who missed the memo and are stuck on Firefox almost reflexively.

	▲	mort96 31 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		Brave isn't any better than the rest, it's just riding a different hype train. It's a cryptocurrency browser because that's what was "in" when it was created. The issues laid out here more or less match my own reasons for disliking Brave: https://thelibre.news/no-really-dont-use-brave/

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bogzz 20 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I made the switch almost exactly two years ago now-- couldn't be happier. I picked PopOS.

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estimator7292 18 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Firefox is honestly just as bad as chrome now. The only sane experience to be had is with a Firefox fork. I use Librewolf and Fennec, but there's lots and lots of them.

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JdeBP a day ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Ongoing parallel discussions of the same thing, as reported by various news sources and by Google itself:

* https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45297331 (gemini.Google)

* https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45292260 (blog.Google 1)

* https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45292163 (blog.Google 2)

* https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45300679 (blog.Google 2)

* https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45297955 (omgubuntu)

* https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45296416 (thenewstack)

* https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45306898 (arstechnica)

* https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45292637 (wired)

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redbell a day ago | parent | prev | next [-]

It's only Google, Microsoft is also heavily pushing Copilot on its products, mainly Windows and Office and, by next month, it will start forcing install the Microsoft 365 Copilot App (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45251593).

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RaSoJo a day ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I switched from Chrome to Brave six months ago.

Why can’t Alphabet just leave Chrome alone? They already have so many cash cows. Stuffing Chrome with AI gimmicks makes it clunky and unusable — and when that happens, people will just migrate to other browsers. Alphabet should revisit its own history and remember the great migration from Internet Explorer to Chrome.

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general1465 a day ago | parent [-]

AI features must be there, considering how much money has been spent into developing these features. However putting these features inside will drive people away from Chrome, while not putting these features inside will make shareholders angry because line is not going up.

Alphabet is in lose-lose situation.

	▲	1718627440 18 hours ago \| parent [-]
		They could just release these features as a core plugin, which is seamlessly installed on enabling it in settings.

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SilverElfin a day ago | parent | prev | next [-]

No one wants this. It’s just a way for them to push their AI products through existing products like chrome. In other words it’s the same anti competitive bundling we see with other giants like Microsoft bundling teams into office

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faangguyindia 16 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Everyone knows if you stop AI adoption, AGI may send you to gulags once it takes over the planet. /s

	▲	braebo 5 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Plenty of ways to get into a gulag in the USA these days, what’s one more?