How to Disable Google’s Gemini in Chrome
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. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but if you didn’t know about it and don’t want it, there’s a way to turn it off.
What It Means for Makers and Artists
The file started auto-downloading for Chrome users in 2024 after Google built Gemini Nano into the browser. But a report by The Privacy Guy this week and the ensuing reception it received highlighted how unaware many users were—perhaps a result of a flood of AI services and features across the tech industry that have been difficult for users to keep up with.
How to Uninstall Gemini Nano
- 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.
- The Privacy Guy article noted that if you directly uninstall the Gemini Nano file in the directory, Chrome will silently, automatically redownload it the next time the browser reboots.
To avoid this issue, Google started rolling out the On-device AI toggle in February so users can turn off the features if they choose and remove the model. “Once disabled, the model will no longer download or update,” a Google spokesperson says in a statement. The company added that the system is designed so Gemini Nano “will automatically uninstall if the device is low on resources.”
Google’s Perspective
The On-device AI feature powers important security capabilities like on-device scam detection and developer APIs without sending your data to the cloud. Once disabled, users can still use these features locally.
However, removing the model could have a range of outcomes when interacting with non-Google web services in the browser. A Google spokesperson tells WIRED that if you turn off On-device AI, “certain security features will not be available, and sites that use the on device APIs will behave differently.”
Alternatives
- If neither option seems right, there’s always an alternative: Use a different browser.
- Local processing is a more private way to utilize AI capabilities. If you remove the model, the features Google uses it for—including the AI-enabled scam detection—will cease to function. But since Gemini Nano is also used by Chrome to enable local AI processing for third-party developers, blocking this route could have a range of outcomes when interacting with non-Google web services in the browser.
Key Takeaways
- To disable Gemini Nano, toggle “On-device AI” to be off in Chrome Settings.
- Removing the model could have a range of outcomes when interacting with non-Google web services in the browser.
- Local processing is a more private way to utilize AI capabilities but may affect interactions with non-Google web services.
Originally published at wired.com. Curated by AI Maestro.
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