Google adds Gemini Nano AI to Chrome to fight against online scams

Google Gemini Nano is designed to provide instant analysis of potentially risky websites, offering users greater defence, even against previously unseen scams.

In Short

Google Gemini Nano offers twice the protection compared to the Standard Protection setting
It has been rolled out for Chrome on desktop and Android devices
Google highlights that it has reduced scams by more than 80 per cent in Search

In a move to enhance online safety, Google has announced a significant expansion of its AI-powered defences on Chrome, Gemini Nano is an on-device large language model, which will help combat online scams more effectively. The company shared the update on Thursday, detailing that this technology is being rolled out on desktop platforms and, gradually, on Android devices as well.

Google highlights that Chrome’s Enhanced Protection mode within Safe Browsing now integrates Gemini Nano to offer an additional shield against scams. The company highlights that this mode already offers twice the protection against phishing and other online threats compared to the Standard Protection setting.

The AI model is already in action, defending users from remote tech support scams — a commonly exploited vector. Google says the Gemini Nano intends to extend these protections across Android devices and broaden the types of scams it can intercept in future updates.

Alongside the desktop deployment, the new AI-driven warning systems on Android aim to protect users from malicious or misleading website notifications. Google noted that scam risks often persist beyond the immediate site via push notifications, which can deceive users even after they’ve left the page.

“Gemini Nano’s LLM is perfect for this use because of its ability to distill the varied, complex nature of websites, helping us adapt to new scam tactics more quickly,” the company stated in a blog post. By processing data on-device, Gemini Nano provides instant analysis of potentially risky websites, offering users greater defence, even against previously unseen scams.

Now, Chrome’s on-device machine learning model will issue alerts when a notification is suspected to be “malicious, spammy or misleading notifications” and label them as “Possible scam.” Users will also be given the choice to either unsubscribe or proceed to view the blocked content. If users believe a site was flagged incorrectly, they can still opt to allow all future notifications from it.

Google also emphasised the broader role AI plays in its fight against online fraud, particularly within Search. The company said its AI systems currently detect and block hundreds of millions of scam-related results daily a 20-fold improvement in identifying scam content.

One notable scam trend has been the impersonation of airline customer service agents. Google reported an 80 per cent reduction in such fraudulent activity, significantly lowering the chances of users encountering fake support phone numbers in Search results.

The company’s latest announcements underscore a strategic push towards on-device AI solutions that offer real-time, adaptive protection, leveraging Gemini Nano’s processing capabilities to stay ahead of evolving cyber threats.

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