Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent
Reports are surfacing that recent versions of Google Chrome are automatically downloading a large, 4 GB AI model onto users' machines without explicit consent. The model, part of a new "AI Core" feature, is being installed in the background, raising concerns about transparency, user control, and resource consumption. The feature appears to be designed to power on-device AI capabilities within the browser.
MY TAKE
Silently pushing gigabytes of data for an opt-out feature is a major overstep that erodes user trust. This is a big deal for developers who need to consider performance and for anyone concerned with software bloat and privacy.
"Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent" from Hacker News (https://www.thatprivacyguy.com/blog/chrome-silent-nano-install/) [Tue, 05 May 2026 07:34:55 +0000]