Google Chrome is using AI to spot scams, shady sites
What's the story
Google has announced the integration of its compact AI model, Gemini Nano, into Chrome.
The browser's 'Enhanced Protection mode within Safe Browsing' feature now provides additional protection against online scams.
The tech giant claims this new mode offers double the protection against phishing and other cyber threats than its Standard Protection setting.
Currently, the AI model is actively defending users from remote tech support scams and will soon extend these protections across Android devices in future updates.
Website protection
Gemini Nano AI to shield against misleading website notifications
Along with its desktop deployment, Google is also launching new AI-driven warning systems on Android devices.
These systems are aimed at keeping users safe from malicious or misleading website notifications.
The tech giant noted that scam risks often go beyond the site via push notifications, misleading users even after leaving the page.
"Gemini Nano's LLM is perfect for this use because of its ability to distill the varied, complex nature of websites," Google said in a blog post.
Functionality
How does Gemini Nano AI work?
Gemini Nano works by processing data on device, giving instant analysis of potentially risky websites. This offers users greater defense, even against previously unseen scams.
The on-device machine learning model in Chrome will issue alerts when a notification is suspected to be "malicious, spammy, or misleading" and label them as "Possible scam."
Users can either unsubscribe or continue viewing the blocked content. If they believe a site was incorrectly flagged, they can choose to allow all future notifications from it.
AI impact
AI's role in Google's fight against online fraud
Google stressed the importance of AI in its fight against online fraud, especially in Search.
The company said its AI systems now detect and block hundreds of millions of scam-related results every day, a 20-fold improvement in detecting scammy content.
One of the biggest trends has been impersonation of airline customer service agents, with Google reporting an 80% reduction in such fraud.
This has greatly reduced users' chances of seeing fake support phone numbers in Search results.