Chromebooks Are Getting a Dedicated AI Key, but You Won’t Use It for AI

Chromebook Plus models were Google’s mode of bringing its marque of fund laptops to a caller era. Still, arsenic with the remainder of the Mountain View tech giant’s phone offerings, the latest updates to ChromeOS connected Plus models have revolved astir AI. While a Gemini icon present glares its large bluish oculus from Chromebook users’ taskbars, each caller Chromebooks volition soon person a caller keyboard layout, putting Google’s AI straight astatine users’ fingertips.

This caller “quick access” relation brings up Gemini’s Help maine constitute substance procreation capabilities. It’s akin to the Copilot Key connected Windows PCs but with respective other features. If you’re not funny successful an AI that volition constitute your emails for you (I’m surely not), different functions look successful a tiny drop-down menu, including casual entree to emojis and GIFs erstwhile messaging your friends. You tin rapidly hunt Google Drive, nexus to precocious opened websites, oregon adjacent person dates and times successful your text.

The archetypal caller Chromebooks with the Quick Insert cardinal are the ultra-thin Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus. It’s a ample laptop, adjacent sporting the numpad keys and a near-16-inch OLED display. The fastener shares abstraction with the Caps Lock key, taking implicit the presumption of the erstwhile Launcher Key. But don’t consciousness atrocious for the aged “G” key. It present gets its imperishable spot adjacent to the Function and Alt keys. 

What AI Features Are Coming to Chromebook Plus?

© Image: Google

Currently, the cardinal doesn’t connection entree to AI representation generation, though Google says it volition successful the future. Why isn’t Quick Access getting the apical spot alternatively of the Launcher Key? Google told Gizmodo it’s due to the fact that users were inactive much apt to usage Launcher to entree their apps quickly. While I’m overmuch much keen connected Quick Access’s non-AI capabilities, respective much on-device and cloud-based AI features are arriving connected Chromebooks passim October.

Older laptops won’t person the Quick Insert relation connected their keyboards, and adjacent new, tiny designs similar the upcoming revised Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11-inch convertible. You tin inactive get to Quick Access by holding the Launcher Key and hitting F. 

There volition beryllium caller Live Translate functionality utilizing Google Translate for your Zoom calls oregon video and audio successful real-time. Based connected our demos, it whitethorn not beryllium the astir close oregon speedy translation, but it mightiness beryllium useful successful a pinch. There’s besides a caller Recorder app that tin make transcriptions based connected the audio. That diagnostic runs on-device, portion Gemini and different AI features inactive necessitate an net connection.

Along with Help maine write, there’s Help maine read, which tin summarize PDFs, articles, oregon webpages erstwhile you right-click. Help maine work has respective much abilities to comprehend ample documents, adjacent up to the size of full-length novels. These are fundamentally the aforesaid capabilities already successful Google’s own NotebookLM. That app besides has other features similar the quality to create slideshows oregon documents based connected added content. The app recently gained features that tin make audio summaries of substance content.

Non-Plus Chromebooks Also Get Saddled With Gemini AI

© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

Despite Google doubling up connected AI features crossed its apps, the caller Chromebook update further entrenches Gemini into ChromeOS. Previously, Gemini’s spot connected the taskbar was restricted to Chromebook Plus models. Now, each Chromebooks should spot the bluish prima Gemini icon pinned connected their shelf. Though caller Chromebook Plus models inactive connection 12 months of Google One AI Premium plan, regular models present get 3 months for escaped earlier needing to wage $20 a period for that saccharine 2TB unreality storage. 

Once again, I’m much enticed by the caller Chromebook features that aren’t needfully tied to AI. There are respective UI improvements to ChromeOS, including a Welcome Recap that shows what apps you were past utilizing connected your Chromebook. There’s besides a “Focus” mode that, similar connected iOS, limits notifications oregon different distractions. You tin besides acceptable it up with a clip bounds and a YouTube Music playlist of your choosing.