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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Browser AI can help you search, summarize, and browse faster.
- Chrome, Edge, and Firefox each bring something different to AI.
- You still need to check AI answers for privacy and accuracy.
I have a love/hate, or at least a like/dislike, relationship with AI. There are certainly things about it that turn me off. But I do rely on it for certain tasks. And that includes my travels across the web.
I often turn to the AI skills built into my go-to browsers. Across Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, I can search for information, request summaries of web pages, ask questions about the content in an open tab, compare products and other items I spot online, and strike up conversations with an AI bot. But which browser provides the most satisfying AI experience? That’s what I wanted to find out.
Also: Why I’m sticking with Firefox as my browser – after years of using Chrome, Edge, and Safari
With that question in mind, I recently used several of the AI features in Chrome, Edge, and Firefox to see what they offer, how they work, and which browser was my favorite.
What about Safari, you may ask? Apple has gradually been adding more AI skills to its default browser. But it still can’t compare with the other three, so I left it out of the running for now. And since I’m primarily a Windows user, I worked with the Windows desktop versions of the three browsers. If you use them on the Mac, though, you’ll find the same AI features across the board.
I already have Chrome, Edge, and Firefox on my Windows PCs (and on my Macs). But if you want to follow along and need to grab any of them yourself, here are the download links:
TL;DR
All three browsers offer useful AI tools, but they work in different ways. Chrome uses Gemini to help with searches, summaries, and saved prompts. Edge uses Copilot to answer questions about websites, PDFs, and all your open tabs. Firefox gives you access to several AI chatbots and adds more privacy controls than the others. Here’s how I use the AI skills in each browser.
Google Chrome
Chrome has an Ask Gemini feature. Here, you can ask the AI to analyze your current web page, summarize the information, or answer questions about it. Just click the Ask Gemini button at the top or right-click anywhere on the page and select Ask Gemini from the menu. That opens a pane on the right from which you can now pose your questions. I do find this tool handy, especially if I want to discuss a particular topic on the current page.
With Google’s AI Mode in Chrome, I always click on some of the source links to check out the original sites used to generate the information. In the past, that was a clumsy process since each link would open in a separate tab. But now, any link I click appears side-by-side with the AI Mode chat window. From there, I can click on one link after another without losing my original chat window. That makes the experience much easier and more effective.
To reuse the prompt at a different web page, open the Gemini chat pane. In the prompt window, type a /. You’ll then see a list of all your saved skills. Choose the skill you wish to use, and Gemini will carry out your request.
You can enable, disable, and otherwise control the AI features in Chrome. Click the three-dot icon in the upper right, select Settings, and then click AI innovations. Here, you’re able to manage Gemini in Chrome, choose whether to include your browsing history in an AI-powered search, and ask for Gemini’s assistance when you need to write something on a web page.
Chrome offers other types of AI skills. But those I described here are the ones I find most useful and helpful.
Microsoft Edge
Open a new tab page and you’re taken to the standard Copilot page. You can select one of the example prompts, type and submit your own question or request at the prompt, and open the sidebar to see other options and your conversation history.
At first, I didn’t like using this page as my new tab page because it conflicted with my ability to run a regular search. But if I don’t want to use Copilot, I can simply type my search term or question in the address field.
Copilot is easily accessible in Edge. Just click the Chat button in the upper right, and the chat pane opens on the right. I’ll typically use this if I want some information or assistance on the current web page. For instance, I might ask Copilot to summarize the current page, or I may pose specific questions about it. I can even ask Copilot to create a podcast based on the page. After Copilot delivers its response, I’m able to continue the conversation if I wish.
Also: I let Chrome’s AI agent shop, research, and email for me – here’s how it went
Even cooler, you can ask Copilot to summarize or answer questions about all your open tabs. Open multiple web pages that cover a certain topic. At the Copilot prompt, ask the AI to summarize all the open tabs and provide whatever information you want on them. Copilot should then check out all the open pages and deliver a detailed but concise summary.
Copilot Vision is a handy tool that can “see” what’s on your screen to analyze, summarize, and answer questions about the content. By chatting with Copilot, you can discuss the current web page in Edge. To try this, open the app, window, or file that you want to discuss. Launch the Copilot pane and click the microphone icon to the right of the prompt. Copilot Vision is automatically activated, so you can kick off your conversation with the AI to talk about the content on the page.
Working with a lot of open tabs can be a challenge. To help manage your tabs, you can group them into separate groups. But instead of doing this manually, you’re able to enlist AI. For this, open a bunch of pages. Make sure that some are related to each other. Click the down arrow at the upper left of the browser and select “Organize tabs.” The built-in AI places your open tabs into distinct groups based on the content. If you like the results, select “Group tabs,” and all your open tabs are arranged into specific groups.
Naturally, you can view and manage your Copilot and AI settings in Edge. Head to the Settings page and select “Copilot and AI.” Here, you’re able to show the Copilot button in the toolbar and enable or disable the Copilot new tab page.
You can turn on the Journeys feature, which automatically groups your browsing history into task-based cards. You can control how and when Copilot interacts with the pages you visit. Plus, you’re able to tweak the options for Copilot’s language, voice, memory, and other features.
Also: The best secure browsers for privacy in 2026: Expert tested
As with Chrome, Edge includes other AI skills. But the ones I mentioned here are some of my favorites.
Firefox
Compared with Chrome and Edge, Firefox adopts a more conservative approach toward AI. With no chatbot and few AI features of its own, Firefox instead relies on other services such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Claude, and Le Chat Mistral.
To check out your options, click the sidebar button at the upper right and select the icon for “Open AI chatbot.” The first time you do this, you’ll be prompted to pick the chatbot you wish to use. From the chat pane in the sidebar, you can always change the AI. You can then ask questions, create images, and perform other tasks.
Depending on the AI, you may also be able to summarize or discuss the current web page and translate text on the screen. Though you can type your question or request in the chat window, you may find it easier to right-click on the current page if you wish to discuss it.
From the pop-up menu, select the AI that’s currently set. You can then ask it to summarize the page or open the AI chat sidebar if it’s closed. You can also select specific text on the page and ask the AI to summarize or explain it.
Need a summary or explanation of a complex PDF? With its built-in PDF viewer, Firefox can use AI to summarize and answer questions about the file. Open a PDF in the browser, either one online or from your own computer. Select all the text in the entire PDF or just a specific section. Right-click on your selection. From the menu, you can ask the current AI to summarize or explain the file as well as create a quiz or proofread the text. From the chat pane, you’re able to then ask follow-up questions.
Also: I ditched Google Chrome for a free local browser on my Pixel, and I’d happily pay a premium for it
To enhance and simplify the use of AI, Mozilla offers a feature called Smart Window. Currently in public beta testing mode, Smart Window opens a side pane from which you can chat with AI to find general information, ask specific questions, or discuss the current web page. You can even get help with multiple tabs. But here, your conversations remain private, stored only on your own computer.
To try this, head to the Smart Window beta page and click the button for “Try Smart Window.” You’re now in Smart Window mode. The Smart Window page then opens, letting you ask a question or submit a request that calls on the built-in AI to respond.
In Smart Window mode, browse to a specific web page. From the Smart Window pane, you can then ask questions about the current page. You can tell the AI to summarize or discuss the page and translate it from a different language. I find this option much easier to use than the third-party AI integration.
Also: This AI tool turned my messy browser tabs into something actually manageable
Best of all, you can easily switch between regular Firefox and Smart Window. Just click the Smart Window icon or the Firefox icon at the upper right and choose Classic Window or Smart Window.
You can control the AI features and even disable AI in Firefox. Click the three-lined icon at the top, select Settings, and then click AI controls at the Settings page. Don’t want AI at all? Just turn on the switch for “Block AI enhancements.” Otherwise, you can choose which on-device AI features you want enabled. You can also control the Smart Window settings and select which third-party AI you want as the default.
Also: How Google’s updated AI Mode will ease your tab clutter when you search
The verdict
That brings us to the verdict. Among Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, which is my favorite browser strictly for AI? I give the nod to Edge. Here, Copilot blends smoothly into the browser and offers features unavailable in Chrome or Firefox. I still use Firefox as my default browser as it’s the most privacy-friendly of the three, and I do like the Smart Window tool. But I’ve been turning to Edge more and more when I want help from a useful and effective AI.
Also: I let ChatGPT Atlas do my Walmart shopping for me – here’s how the AI browser agent did
Whichever browser you use for AI, always keep two items in mind — privacy and accuracy. Certain AI skills require or at least request access to your browsing activity, which you may want to limit. And AI can make mistakes and generate inaccurate information, so always double-check the results and responses you receive.
