Chromebook Plus: Google brings AI functions and Gemini to ChromeOS

Google’s AI offensive, which was the focus at I/O 2024, is making its way into ChromeOS. As the company has now revealed, notebooks in the Chromebook Plus series will offer a range of exciting AI functions in future. The AI assistant Gemini will also be available on the devices.

ChromeOS update brings AI functions

Laptops in the Chromebook Plus category can look forward to a range of exciting new features with the latest ChromeOS update. One function, for example, is called “Formulate for me” and is designed to help with AI features when writing texts.

With a click, the AI can display various suggestions on how to fill a gap in the text. The AI is also able to shorten or rephrase highlighted texts and put them in a different format. The tone of voice can also be adjusted.

However, the function will initially only be available in English but, according to Google, will also be available in German in the third quarter of 2024.

Also new are AI-generated wallpapers, which we already know from the Pixel 8 Pro (our test). These wallpapers can be used on the desktop of Chromebooks in future, but will also be used in video calls in Google Meet.

The Magic Editor is also known from smartphones. It uses a generative AI to move objects in images, cut them out and then fill the empty areas again.

Google’s AI chat assistant Gemini is also available on Chromebooks Plus and can be used directly from the start screen. By default, it uses the Gemini 1.0 Pro model and can, for example, create images, write code, help with planning and much more.

When purchasing a new Chromebook Plus device, Google also offers two months’ access to Gemini Advanced, which with Gemini 1.5 Pro offers a significantly stronger AI that accepts up to 1 million tokens as input and can, for example, summarize and evaluate documents from Google Docs or PDFs.

In order for a laptop to be labeled Chromebook Plus, it must meet certain requirements. These include a 12th or 13th generation Intel Core processor or AMD Ryzen 5000 or 7000, as well as at least 8 GB RAM and 128 GB eMMC or SSD storage.

Normal Chromebooks are not left empty-handed either

However, normal updates are not left out of the ChromeOS update either, although the AI functions are reserved for the Plus models.

Regular Chromebooks, for example, can be set up more easily with the help of an Android smartphone by scanning a QR code on the laptop, which transfers the login data for Wi-Fi or Google account without having to enter the password again.

In future, Google Tasks can be created directly via the calendar in the bottom right-hand corner of the start screen, while tasks created with the smartphone can be processed directly on the Chromebook.

Screen recordings can also be saved as animated GIFs, while ChromeOS has also been given a gaming dashboard in which the controls can be adjusted or a recording and screenshot can be made.