Google Project Jarvis: A Gemini-powered AI agent to simplify browsing tasks
In May 2024, at Google’s I/O event, the company shared exciting developments around its advanced AI, “Gemini,” focusing on how it could support user tasks. Google now appears to be readying “Project Jarvis,” an AI agent that could operate directly within Chrome to streamline online activities. The tool, expected for preview in December, is anticipated to be powered by Gemini 2.0 and designed to help users automate common browser tasks in real time.
What is Project Jarvis?
Project Jarvis, inspired by Iron Man’s AI assistant J.A.R.V.I.S., aims to bring AI-driven automation to Google Chrome. This AI agent is intended to help users complete everyday online tasks, from researching topics and purchasing products to booking flights. The emphasis is on making Jarvis a consumer-friendly tool for personal use, as opposed to an enterprise solution.
How Jarvis Works: AI-Assisted Browsing
According to Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai, AI agents like Jarvis are envisioned as “intelligent systems” capable of handling multi-step processes, reasoning through tasks, and working across various software platforms—all while remaining under user control. At the I/O event, Pichai described Gemini’s potential to manage organizational, reasoning, and synthesis tasks on a user’s behalf.
Jarvis works by taking frequent screenshots of the user’s browser and analyzing them to understand the task at hand. After processing each screenshot, Jarvis performs specific actions, like clicking buttons or typing in fields, to complete tasks. This screen-based method lets Jarvis interact with a broad range of websites and interfaces, even though it may not yet operate directly on users’ devices. Due to the model’s current cloud-dependence, Jarvis may have a slight delay between actions as it processes each step, which could slow its response time.
The Role of Gemini 2.0
Project Jarvis is expected to run on Gemini 2.0, Google’s latest and most advanced AI model. Gemini, initially introduced for Google’s Bard, has quickly expanded its capabilities to support increasingly complex tasks, which Jarvis is likely to demonstrate. By leveraging Gemini 2.0, Jarvis could become a flagship example of Google’s advancements in AI.
The rollout for Jarvis may start with early testers soon after its December preview, though a public launch seems further off.