Google is testing informative pop-up for 'Ask AI Mode' in Chrome where Gemini is unsupported

In regions where Gemini is currently unsupported, Google is still planning to add some AI features to Chrome. Most probably, it won’t have the entire Gemini feature suite, but testing versions of Chrome now display an informative pop-up that introduces the AI mode.

The pop-up box was initially spotted by @Leopeva64 on X, presumably in Chrome Canary. You can find a video demo and some screenshots in the post attached below.

While I’ve tried checking on Chrome Canary myself, no such pop-up appears at the moment. This is either because it’s still under testing only in specific regions, or the tipster enabled it through hidden flags.

The dialog box consists of a “Show me” button, which is presently non-functional. It just quits the pop-up, but once the feature is ready, Chrome will probably direct users to the location of the button.

Additionally, the tipster also pointed out that the prompt will appear after launching the browser. It also shuffles some elements around, since the bottom navigation bar has to make space for the Ask AI Mode button. This bottom bar will probably appear by default after the stable release.

In fact, a redesigned bottom bar has already entered testing for the Chrome iOS app, and users already want to turn it off. More on that here.

Recently, we covered a story about Ask AI Mode on Chrome, which is actively under testing. For regions where Gemini isn’t available, the “Ask AI Mode” option will replace the “Ask Gemini” button. It’s in the same place at the bottom navigation bar, but with a different logo. At the time of writing, this alternative to Gemini Chrome hasn’t rolled out yet.

Speaking of Gemini in Chrome, it’s still unavailable for public use. Earlier timelines stated late June as the release date for the US, but it doesn’t look like the rollout has begun so far.

In other Chrome news, v151 has officially started rolling out, ending support for macOS Monterey (12). We covered that here.

Disclaimer: The Featured image was generated with AI.

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