Google has added a new “Browse with AI” button to the toolbar in Chrome Canary. The button opens Chrome’s AI side panel with a single click. It makes AI Mode easier to reach from anywhere in the browser.
Earlier, users often had to enter AI Mode through search prompts or other entry points tied to Google Search. That process made the feature feel separate from normal browsing. The new toolbar button removes those steps. Users can now open AI Mode directly while staying on the current page.
AI Mode continues to run inside Chrome’s side panel. The panel opens next to the active tab instead of replacing it. This layout lets users read content, ask questions, and browse at the same time, without losing context.
The side panel no longer clearly highlights the AI Mode name at the top. However, the input box still reads “Ask AI Mode.” This confirms that the experience itself has not changed. AI Mode works the same way as before, but access to it now feels more connected to browsing.
AI Mode also supports richer inputs. The plus (+) button lets users select recent tabs and ask questions based on their content. Users can also upload images or files and ask questions about them directly from the side panel. In some pre-release versions of Chrome, AI Mode can create images from text prompts, similar to what users see in Google Gemini.
The side panel now brings multiple AI tools together. AI Mode and Lens both work from the same space, which allows text-based questions, image searches, and file-based queries without leaving the page.
Google has not shared whether this toolbar button will appear in stable versions of Chrome.
That’s not all. Chrome tests Immersive Reading mode with line focus and now offers a full-page option alongside the side panel.
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