Google upgrades Chrome AI Mode with side-by-side source browsing

Google has redesigned AI Mode in Chrome desktop so a clicked source no longer pulls users into a separate tab. Instead, the webpage now opens side by side with the chat, letting people keep asking follow-up questions while they read, compare details and move through a search session without losing context.

The change is rolling out to Chrome desktop users in the United States and is intended to reduce tab switching. Google said early testers preferred the side-by-side layout because it helped them stay focused while exploring useful web pages. That framing matters because the feature is not just about convenience. It is about keeping the search experience inside Google’s own surfaces for longer, with the browser and the chatbot working as one controlled environment.

AI Mode first launched in Google Search in the U.S. in May 2025 as Google’s most powerful AI search experience. Google said it combined advanced reasoning, multimodality and follow-up questions, along with links to the web. By November 2025, Google had brought an AI Mode shortcut to Chrome on iPhone and Android, and on April 7, 2026, it added vertical tabs and an immersive reading mode. Google has also been expanding Gemini in Chrome with a side panel for multitasking across the web. Taken together, those moves show a steady push to make Chrome less of a window to the internet and more of an AI workspace.

The business logic is familiar. Platform companies often keep users inside their own interfaces by making the next action easier than leaving. In Google’s case, the company is reducing the friction that once pushed searchers to open and manage separate tabs. A source can still be consulted, but the conversation never fully breaks away from AI Mode, which means Google remains the broker between the user and the page.

That strategy has a sharp edge for publishers. The News/Media Alliance and other publishers have criticized Google’s AI search products for potentially reducing traffic to news sites. Side-by-side source browsing may make AI Mode feel more useful to readers, but it also strengthens Google’s ability to hold attention within Search and Chrome while the open web supplies the material in the background. In that sense, the update is less a browsing shortcut than another step in Google’s effort to redesign how people read, click and return.