Google · Gemini · Wired · Wired
The file started auto-downloading for Chrome users in 2024 after Google built Gemini Nano into the browser
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To uninstall the Gemini Nano file, open Chrome on your computer, in the top right corner click the “More” menu represented by three vertical dots, then go to Settings, System, and then toggle “On-device AI” to be off.
Key facts
- If you use Google's Chrome browser for desktop, there's probably a Gemini Nano AI model running on your computer right now and taking up about 4 GB of space
- The file started auto-downloading for Chrome users in 2024 after Google built Gemini Nano into the browser
- Longtime security and compliance consultant Davi Ottenheimer says that he follows Chrome updates closely but could have easily missed the Gemini Nano integration
- These features are separate from Chrome's AI Mode, which does not use the local Gemini Nano model
Summary
If you use Google's Chrome browser for desktop, there's probably a Gemini Nano AI model running on your computer right now and taking up about 4 GB of space. The file started auto-downloading for Chrome users in 2024 after Google built Gemini Nano into the browser. A Google spokesperson tells WIRED that the company started rolling out the On-device AI toggle in February so users can turn off the features if they choose and remove the model. Google built the model into Chrome to enabled on-device AI scam-detection features.