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Build new features using built-in AI in Chrome

Build new features using built-in AI in Chrome

Tech Chrome for Developers Blog
Chrome's new built-in AI features, including Summarizer, Prompt, Writer, Rewriter, and Translator APIs, enable cost-efficient, privacy-first, and performant on-device AI for web applications.
What: At Google I/O 2026, Thomas Steiner presented Chrome's built-in AI, running models on-device, offering cost savings, privacy, offline functionality, and performance. New APIs include Summarizer for headlines/SEO, Prompt for structured output (tags, moderation) and multimodal input (alt-text), Writer/Rewriter for content generation, and Translator for multilingual content.
Why it matters: This move signifies a major step towards making AI functionality a native, performant, and privacy-preserving primitive for web developers, shifting AI inference from the cloud to the browser and expanding the capabilities of web applications without incurring server-side costs.
Takeaway: Explore the Chrome for Developers blog and starter template for `Summarizer`, `Prompt`, `Writer`, `Rewriter`, and `Translator` APIs to integrate on-device AI into web apps, leveraging `@types/dom-chromium-ai` for TypeScript.
Deep dive
  • Google I/O 2026 presentation by Thomas Steiner highlighted Chrome's built-in AI capabilities.
  • The AI models run directly on the user's device, offering cost-efficiency by eliminating cloud inference costs.
  • This approach ensures privacy, as sensitive data remains local within the browser.
  • Features work offline once the model is downloaded, and hardware acceleration provides strong performance.
  • Hybrid inference allows fallback to cloud services for unsupported devices (e.g., mobile) using polyfills or Firebase AI Logic.
  • The Summarizer API can generate headlines and SEO-friendly meta descriptions; used by trAIlblazers for blog editors and Drupal for CKEditor SEO tags.
  • The Prompt API supports structured output via JSON Schema for tasks like tag generation and comment moderation; Yahoo! Japan uses it for community comment moderation.
  • With multimodal input, the Prompt API can generate accessible alt-text and captions from images.
  • Writer and Rewriter APIs enable expanding bullet points and changing text tone.
  • The Translator API facilitates instant content translation (e.g., English to Spanish/Japanese) for creators.
  • Trip.com uses AI overviews for complex flight booking navigation.
  • A starter blog template by Build Awesome (formerly Eleventy) is available, showcasing these AI features.
Decoder
  • Polyfill: A piece of code (or plugin) that provides the functionality of a modern web feature to older browsers that do not natively support it.
Original article

Build new features using built-in AI in Chrome Stay organized with collections Save and categorize content based on your preferences.

Thomas Steiner

This post is a write-up of the talk given at Google I/O 2026 by Thomas Steiner.

Imagine building a travel blog where the blog post editor doesn't just store the text, but where it actively supports you when writing. Meet Maya and Ashok, the creators of trAIlblazers. They use built-in AI in Chrome. By running models directly on the user's device, developers bypass expensive cloud costs and latency while keeping sensitive data local.

We've collaborated with Build Awesome (formerly known as Eleventy) to release a blog template with all the AI features listed in the talk.

Why built-in AI?

  • Cost-efficient: No cloud inference cost, all computation happens on users' supporting devices.
  • Privacy first: Sensitive data never leaves the browser.
  • Offline functionality: Once the model is downloaded, AI features work without an internet connection.
  • Performance: Hardware acceleration allows on-device models to rival (and sometimes beat) cloud speeds.
  • Hybrid inference: Using polyfills and tools like Firebase AI Logic, you can fall back to the cloud on unsupported devices (like mobile) while staying native on desktop.

AI features for modern web apps

The Summarizer API

The trAIlblazers editor uses the Summarizer API to generate headlines and SEO-friendly meta descriptions automatically.

Example: Generate a headline

const blogPost = document.querySelector('.article-body').innerText;
const summarizer = await Summarizer.create({
  type: 'headline',
  sharedContext: 'Write headlines that make people want to read the blog post',
});

for await (const chunk of summarizer.summarizeStreaming(blogPost)) {
  headline.append(chunk);
}

The Prompt API (with structured output)

Need specific data? By using JSON Schema with the Prompt API, you can make the AI return predictable formats. The trAIlblazers team uses this for the following:

  • Tag Generation: Suggest categories like "Adventure" or "Beach" from a predefined list.
  • Comment Moderation: Classify comments as "Safe" or "Harmful" before they are published.

Media accessibility

The editor automates the "hard parts" of Markdown. When you drop an image, the Prompt API (with multimodal input) analyzes the pixels to generate accessible alt-text and informative captions.

Writing and rewriting

With the Writer and Rewriter APIs, users can expand bullet points into complete paragraphs and change the tone of a paragraph to be "more casual" or "shorter" with a single click.

Seamless translation

The Translator API allows creators to draft content in English and instantly translate it for Spanish or Japanese readers, which native speakers can then refine.

Example of Translator API working.
Draft content with the Translator API in English and instantly translate it to Spanish and Japanese.

Real-world success stories

Many partners are already shipping these APIs in production. Notable examples include the following:

  • Drupal: Uses the Summarizer API for SEO tag generation within CKEditor.
  • Yahoo! Japan: Uses the Prompt API for community comment moderation.
  • Trip.com: Helps shoppers navigate complex flight booking options with AI overviews.

Resources from the talk

Ready to build your own "trAIlblazers" experience? Check out these resources:

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