Google Chrome Upgrades Web AI Intelligence

Google Chrome upgrades Web AI intelligence by adopting WebGPU at its Google I/O conference 

Today's AI technology is heavily reliant on the massive data centers maintained by cloud computing behemoths like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google. But web apps may now more directly benefit from AI processing thanks to a technology called WebGPU that Google is now integrating into its Chrome browser.

At its Google I/O conference, Google made the WebGPU adoption announcement. WebGPU enables web programs on smartphones and laptops to more effectively utilize artificial intelligence software that is rapidly transforming everything from creative software to health apps.

According to Matt Waddell, who oversees Chrome's developer and user-focused efforts, "WebGPU makes the web AI-ready," in an exclusive interview conducted before the conference. The business will show off a web application that uses Stability AI's Stable Diffusion software to convert text cues into graphics during Google I/O, he added.

The decision underscores the increasing prevalence of AI technology, which has long been utilized in the background but has recently gained considerably greater visibility because of new generative AI tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT, Microsoft's Bing, Google's Bard, and Adobe's Firefly. Despite CEO Sundar Pichai calling Google an AI-first business in 2016, ChatGPT caught Google off guard, and now the search giant is scrambling to cash in on the buzz.

Although the hardware in phones and laptops is far less powerful than that in data centers' servers, running AI locally on a device avoids network issues and can help you maintain control over your data. According to Waddell, it may be helpful for companies with sensitive data or health applications whose findings you wish to keep secret.

The efforts at Google, Apple, and other companies that revolutionized video gaming hardware on the web are where WebGPU's roots can be traced back years. That made it possible for web programs to utilize the GPUs' inherent power, which was previously limited to graphics-intensive video games. The computer sector realized that such GPUs are also rather effective at boosting AI.

AI programs can also function in natively installed apps on a device, as they do, for example, in Adobe's Lightroom and Photoshop picture editing programs. The universality of the web platform may, however, be better utilized by developers if AI in online apps is accelerated.

We always consider a more sophisticated and potent online platform, said Waddell.