AI Model

Chrome 148 Is Downloading a 4GB AI Model: Here’s What You Need to Know If you noticed your hard drive space shrink after updating Google Chrome recently, you’re not alone. A number of users discovered that Chrome 148 had quietly downloaded a roughly 4GB AI model without any clear notification or request for permission. Google has since acknowledged the download and explained its purpose. This article walks through what happened, what it means for your privacy and storage, and how to manage it yourself. ...

Chrome Quietly Drops Privacy Promise for Its On-Device AI – What You Need to Know If you use Chrome, you might want to check your settings. In early May 2026, Google removed a long-standing privacy claim from Chrome’s support pages: the statement that its on-device AI “does not send any data to Google servers.” Multiple outlets, including Decrypt, Yahoo Tech, and GIGAZINE, confirmed the change. At the same time, Chrome has been quietly installing a roughly 4 GB AI model on Windows, macOS, and Linux systems—and it puts the model back even if you delete it manually. ...

Chrome Quietly Removes Privacy Promise About On-Device AI — Here’s What to Do If you’ve been using Chrome’s newer AI features under the assumption that everything stays on your device, a recent change might give you pause. Around the start of May 2026, Google removed a key statement from Chrome’s settings page that had explicitly promised on-device AI does not send data to Google servers. At the same time, separate reports indicate that Chrome is installing a large AI model (roughly 4 GB) that reappears even after you delete it. ...

Chrome Quietly Removed Its Privacy Promise for On-Device AI — Here’s What That Means Google has long pitched Chrome’s on-device AI features as a privacy-friendly way to use machine learning without sending your data to the cloud. But a recent change in Chrome’s documentation suggests that promise may no longer hold. According to reports from Decrypt, Yahoo Tech, and GIGAZINE, Google silently deleted a line that explicitly stated its on-device AI does not send data to its servers. At the same time, users have discovered that Chrome is installing a 4GB AI model that can reappear even after being manually deleted. ...

Chrome quietly deleted its own privacy promise for on-device AI — here’s how to stop it If you use Chrome and care about privacy, you might want to check what Google has quietly changed under the hood. Recent reporting from Decrypt and Yahoo Tech has revealed that Chrome removed a long-standing privacy promise that kept on-device AI from sending data to Google. At the same time, the browser has been silently downloading a 4 GB AI model that reappears even after you delete it. Here’s what happened, why it matters, and what you can do about it. ...

Chrome Is Dropping Its Privacy Promise for On-Device AI — What You Need to Know If you use Chrome, you may have noticed something new eating up disk space or making your browser behave differently. Over the past few days, multiple reports have confirmed that Google is quietly installing a 4GB AI model on users’ computers — and that Chrome’s earlier privacy promise about this feature has been removed. Here’s what changed, why it matters, and what you can do about it. ...

Chrome Is Secretly Installing a 4GB AI Model—Here’s How to Stop It If you use Google Chrome, there’s a good chance your browser has quietly downloaded a 4GB AI model onto your computer. And if you try to delete it, reports indicate it can come back on its own. ...