If you have ever gone down a rabbit hole while searching for something online, you know the drill. You open one tab, follow a link, open another, and another, and suddenly you have 14 tabs open and zero answers.
It was one of the reasons that forced me to switch to Arc Browser, which offered easier-to-manage vertical tabs, which, incidentally, Google Chrome also added a week back. But Google is not stopping there, and is adding a meaningful upgrade to AI Mode in Chrome to fix this issue.
So, what has Google done to solve tab chaos?
The biggest change is that clicking a link in AI Mode no longer yanks you away from your search. Instead, the webpage opens alongside AI Mode, so you can browse the site and still ask follow-up questions without losing your place.
Google gave a shopping example to illustrate this feature. Say you’re shopping for a compact coffee maker that can pull a decent latte. You describe what you want in AI Mode and search for it. You find a model you like and click on its link. Instead of opening in a new tab, it will open right there on the right side.
Now, you can ask questions like, “How easy is this to clean?” AI Mode will pull context from the page and give you an actual answer. No new tab, no starting over.
It works just as well for research. If you’re learning about McLaren’s racing teams, you can browse McLaren’s official site alongside AI Mode and keep firing questions in real time.
I don’t think the feature has rolled out to everyone yet. I tried repeating the same steps, but the links are still opening in a new tab. So, if you are not seeing this feature, wait for it to roll out in the coming days.
What else do you get with this new update?
Another major addition is the ability to search across tabs, and that is arguably the more exciting part for me. On both desktop and mobile, a new “plus” menu in the search box lets you pull in your already-open tabs and add them to your AI Mode search. You can mix and match tabs, images, and even PDFs.
Studying for an exam? Add your class notes, lecture slides, and reading tabs to the search, then ask AI Mode to explain something you are stuck on. It will use all that context to give you a tailored response.
Many AI browsers, including Perplexity Comet, offer a similar cross-tab search feature, and it’s good to see Google Chrome join the party.