• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer, 8 hours ago

Google DeepMind began granting users access to "Project Genie" on Thursday for Google AI Ultra subscribers in the U.S. age 18 and older. This experimental research prototype allows users to create, explore and remix their own interactive worlds.

Chatbots are based on text, but Project Genie creates a visual world. The company first previewed it in August as a general-purpose, world-building model capable of generating diverse, interactive environments.

Even in this early form, those testing the model managed to create a range of worlds and experiences, and revealed entirely new ways to use it.

The next step is to broaden access through a dedicated, interactive prototype focused on immersive world creation.

Project Genie gives brands the ability to take consumers into other worlds because the model simulates the dynamics of an environment. It also predicts how that world will evolve and how actions are affected in the world.

While Google DeepMind has a history of agents for specific environments like Chess or Go, building artificial general intelligence (AGI) requires systems that navigate the diversity of the real world.

Subscriptions like the one offered for Project Genie will generate major revenue for Google in the future, along with other tools the company launched this week. 

Gemini in Chrome has just been updated with three new features that integrate more capabilities in Chrome for Windows, MacOS, and Chromebook Plus. The update adds an agentic AI "Auto Browse," AI side panel, and Nano Banana image editing of images in the browser window.

For brands that advertise or optimize for organic queries on Google, “auto browse” shifts the focus from traditional clicks to influencing the AI agent that performs tasks on the user's behalf. 

Brands become the data providers for AI agents, not the destination. Agents must have the ability to read the data to recommend products.

The feature is a subscription in Chrome for those with a Google account — active AI Premium or AI Ultra subscription.

Auto browse uses AI to understand intent and automate actions. Rather than suggesting next steps, the technology independently navigates through multiple web pages, interacts with content, and completes entire workflows without human oversight.

Implications for brands extend beyond the convenience of reaching consumers, and into changing experiences in terms of how potential customers engage with digital services.

A Boston Consulting Group study shows that shopping-related generative AI use grew by 35% in 2025, and is quickly becoming the default layer for digital discovery.

Google’s latest addition to its Chrome browser puts generative AI in charge, consumers as passengers, and brands in the backseat wondering what will be next.

“Auto browse” lets users ask an assistant powered by Gemini to complete tasks such as shopping, comparing and making purchases, all without leaving Chrome.

Users can ask Gemini to plan vacations, having it check a variety of airlines or train schedules, as well as hotel websites to compare prices.

Google also introduced a new way to browse with side panels that lets users multitask. A new side panel lets Gemini in Chrome.

Nano Banana also joined Chrome, allowing users to transform images on the fly without needing to download and re-upload images or open another tab. Available to all Gemini in Chrome users, just type a prompt in the side panel to explain what the user tried to do. It can be used to design a living room or change research data into graphics.

Gemini in Chrome also offers security standards, and has introduced entirely new features to help protect from online threats.

For added control, auto browse is designed to pause and explicitly ask for confirmation or prompt the user to complete some tasks like making a purchase or posting on social media.