Google claims it patched more security flaws in Chrome during June than in the entire preceding two years.
The announcement came on Thursday. The company fixed 1,072 security bugs in the latest two versions of Chrome, released in June. That figure exceeds the total of 1,036 fixes applied across 23 versions released over the last 24 months.
Security experts have long predicted that artificial intelligence would allow automated systems to find vulnerabilities at an exponential rate. Defenders would then need similar tools to stay ahead of attackers.
Data now supports that prediction.
A chart released by Google, included in a white paper on its use of AI to identify and patch flaws faster, illustrates the rise. Chrome version 126 launched in June 2024. The most recent releases, versions 149 and 150, arrived last month. Google refers to each release as a milestone.
Doug Turner, Chrome’s director of engineering, told TechCrunch that artificial intelligence has changed the economics of cybersecurity. He described vulnerability discovery as an automated, industrial-scale operation now.
“By applying models like Gemini, we are preemptively fixing vulnerabilities, outpacing our adversaries and making Chrome safer with every update,” Turner said.
Microsoft is seeing similar results. Earlier this month, the company reported patching a record 570 security flaws across its product lines during its monthly scheduled updates, known as Patch Tuesday. Microsoft attributed the jump to its own use of AI.
Apple does not appear to be recording the same surge. An independent count shows the tech giant patched 482 bugs in 2026. That pace matches last year’s total and is roughly equal to the number of fixes applied in 2015.
TechCrunch asked Apple for comment but received no response.
What it means
For developers and users, the volume of patches matters less than the timing. Finding bugs faster means they get fixed before attackers can exploit them. The shift is from reactive defence to proactive maintenance.
