Google Chrome for desktop silently installs a ~4GB Gemini Nano model; Google says Gemini has been in Chrome since 2024, and users can “turn off and remove” it
The ongoing march of AI features continues to go on, whether you want it to or not, and a recent update …
9to5Google Ben Schoon
Related Coverage
- Chrome's AI features may be hogging 4GB of your computer storage The Verge · Jess Weatherbed
- Google's Prompt API Wil.to
- Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent. At a billion-device scale the climate costs are insane. That Privacy Guy! · Alexander Hanff
- Chrome downloads a 4GB AI file without user consent, researcher alleges Engadget · Nathan Ingraham
- Google Chrome 4GB AI model controversy: Why users should not worry about the reported background download Moneycontrol · Sarthak Singh
- Google just gave me the best reason ever to uninstall Chrome Android Central · Nickolas Diaz
- Google Chrome Might Have Installed an AI Model Onto Your Device Without You Knowing CNET · Alex Valdes
- Well, IS Google Downloading A 4GB AI Onto Your PC Without Consent, Yes Or No? Digital Journal · Paul Wallis
- Google May Have Installed Its 4GB AI Model for Chrome Without Your Knowledge Tech Times · Isaiah Richard
- Chrome Is Quietly Installing a 4GB AI Model on Your Computer—And Putting It Back If You Delete It Decrypt · Jose Antonio Lanz
- Google Chrome Warning: Your Browser Is Silently Consuming 4GB of Disk Space صوت ا … · Karim Saqr
- Google Chrome secretly installed a 4GB Gemini AI model on your computer: here's what we know Livemint · Aman Gupta
- Google Chrome and Gemini AI could be eating up 4GB of your storage The Shortcut · Reece Bithrey
- Chrome has been secretly downloading a 4GB Gemini Nano model to your device Android Headlines · Alexander Maxham
- Google Chrome Is Downloading a 4GB AI Model Onto Your Device Without Consent, Researcher Warns Gizmodo · AJ Dellinger
- Why Chrome may have quietly downloaded a 4GB file to your PC - and how to get rid of it ZDNET · Lance Whitney
- Google Chrome reportedly downloads 4GB AI model: Why those spyware claims and warnings are misleading Times of India
- Chrome AI takes up 4GB of your computer storage and there may be nothing you can do about it Android Police · Chandra Steele
- Chrome's AI Might Be Taking Up a Bunch of Storage, but You Can Fix It Lifehacker · Jake Peterson
- Chrome silently downloads a 4GB AI model. Here's how to remove it PCWorld · Ben Patterson
- Chrome's AI features can take up to 4GB of space on your computer Computerworld · Viktor Eriksson
- Google Chrome silently installs 4GB Gemini Nano AI model on user devices CyberInsider · Bill Mann
- Google Chrome Accused Of Secretly Downloading 4GB AI Model Ubergizmo · Paulo Montenegro
- Google Chrome is secretly downloading 4GB AI model on some laptops, here is what you can do about it India Today · Divya Bhati
- Google Chrome is installing a 4 GB AI model onto your device. Here's how you can turn it off Digital Trends · Rachit Agarwal
- Chrome Installs 4 GB Gemini Nano Without Asking Awesome Agents · Daniel Okafor
- Google Chrome: Hidden 4 GB Gemini Nano AI Model Download Triggers Consent Concerns WinBuzzer · Markus Kasanmascheff
- Google Chrome ‘silently’ downloads 4GB AI model to your device without permission, report claims — researcher says practice may violate EU law, waste thousands of kilowatts of energy Tom's Hardware · Zak Killian
- Check your storage: Chrome may be downloading a 4GB AI model — here's what we know Tom's Guide · Amanda Caswell
- Google Chrome is reportedly auto-installing a massive 4GB AI model without your consent Neowin · Paul Hill
- People have asked me if @Vivaldi parks this on your machine. No, we don't, because this “A.I.” is short for “Annoyingly Invasive”. We know it's your machine, and you'd rather use storage space for music from The Cruellest Months/ Cheeky Girls, or selfies with your pet triceratops. … @brucelawson@social.vivaldi.net · Bruce Lawson
- By now you've all probably heard about the latest shenanigans from Google and their love for in-browser AI features (if you don't, this is the story: https://www.theverge.com/... Our team has been inspecting the Chromium code and disabling stuff from the very first version of Vivaldi (we have some posts about this in our blog, such as https://vivaldi.com/... or https://vivaldi.com/... … @Vivaldi@social.vivaldi.net
- Chrome silently installs a 4 GB local LLM on your computer The Register
- Google Chrome “quietly” installs a 4GB AI model on devices without permission: “If the user deletes it, Chrome re-downloads it” Windows Central · Kevin Okemwa
- Chrome May Quietly Use 4GB for AI Features: Here's How You Can Stop It PCMag · Jibin Joseph
- Google Chrome Just Silently Installed A 4GB AI Model On Your Device - Here's How To Remove It BGR · Briley Kenney
- Google responds to Chrome's silent Gemini Nano install, stops short of addressing consent Digital Trends · Pranob Mehrotra
- Google Clarifies How Chrome's Built-In AI Features Use Local Storage Thurrott · Laurent Giret
- Chrome May Quietly Use 4GB for AI Features: Here's How You Can Stop It PCMag · Jibin Joseph
- The Tiny AI Model That Lives Inside the Chrome Browser Hallucinates a Whole Lot Gizmodo · Mike Pearl
- Google Chrome browser silently installs 4GB AI model on devices without asking Club386 · Fahd Temsamani
- Google Chrome Accused of Silently Installing 4GB AI Model on User Devices Hackread · Deeba Ahmed
- Chrome Is Quietly Downloading a 4GB AI Model Without Your Permission PCMag · Jibin Joseph
- Google Chrome downloads 4GB Gemini AI model onto your devices without permission: Report The Indian Express
Discussion
-
@pirat_nation
@pirat_nation
on x
Google Chrome is quietly downloading a roughly 4 GB AI model to many users' computers without clear upfront consent. The file, called weights.bin, is part of Google's Gemini Nano on-device language model and lands in the browser's user data folder under OptGuideOnDeviceModel. [im…
-
@laparisa
Parisa Tabriz
on x
We've offered Gemini Nano for Chrome since 2024 as a lightweight, on-device model. It powers important security capabilities like on-device scam detection and developer APIs without sending your data to the cloud.
-
@9to5google
@9to5google
on x
Google Chrome takes up 4GB of storage on your computer for AI, if you have space https://9to5google.com/... by @nexusben
-
@k1rallik
BuBbliK
on x
do you understand what just happened to your computer.. Google Chrome secretly downloaded a 4GB AI model onto your device. Without asking.. Without telling you.. It's called weights.bin. It lives deep in your system folders. It powers Gemini Nano - Google's on-device AI. And [vid…
-
@amctrade89
@amctrade89
on x
@EvanLuthra This post is misleading. Yes, Google is installing Gemini Nano (their on-device AI model) in the background in newer Chrome versions. It does use storage and can cause battery/heat issues for some users — that part is real. But the “4GB” claim is exaggerated. The actu…
-
@evanluthra
Evan Luthra
on x
🚨GOOGLE JUST SILENTLY DOWNLOADED A 4GB AI MODEL TO YOUR COMPUTER WITHOUT ASKING.. WITHOUT TELLING YOU.. AND WITHOUT ANY WAY TO STOP IT.. If you use Chrome.. There's a good chance a 4 gigabyte file is sitting on your hard drive right now that you never agreed to download.. It's [i…
-
Andreas Ek-Sarfraz
Andreas Ek-Sarfraz
on linkedin
Google controls your computer, not you. — You don't decide. You can't reject it. It installs without you knowing, in the background and hides in a hidden folder. …
-
@matthiasott@mastodon.social
Matthias Ott
on mastodon
“So, in short: you now have an LLM running on your machine, and any website you visit can make use of it, and whatever processing resources it requires.” — The definitive piece on Google participating in the web standards process “the way a bear participates in the ‘camping’ pr…
-
r/TechHardware
r
on reddit
Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent. At a billion-device scale the climate costs are insane.
-
r/enshittification
r
on reddit
Google Chrome secretly downloads AI model to your machine, reinstalls if you delete it.
-
r/DelusionsOfAdequacy
r
on reddit
Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent. At a billion-device scale the climate costs are insane.
-
@laparisa
Parisa Tabriz
on x
We've seen some questions about Gemini Nano on @googlechrome, so I want to clarify a few things. On-device AI is core to our developer & security strategy. 🧵
-
r/antiai
r
on reddit
Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent. At a billion-device scale the climate costs are insane.