Google already owns the world’s most popular internet browser, and it’s already transforming Chrome to support more built-in AI features that can be helpful while you’re surfing the web to get things done. But that didn’t stop Google from creating a brand-new internet browser that will let select users test a new internet experience. Disco, available as a Google Labs experiment once you sign up, will not offer an ordinary Chrome experience. This is a new product that imagines the future of the internet, where users may interact with internet browsers in novel ways. The key difference is Disco’s ability to generate the website you need on the fly, when you need it.
Google’s video demos below show that Disco looks nothing like Chrome. But while the browser features a new user interface, it’s still familiar to anyone using chatbot apps like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. Disco doesn’t have a URL bar at the top. The central prompt composer lets you type a website address or ask a question. Type a prompt, and Gemini AI will provide an answer after performing an internet search. The links included in the response can then be opened in a panel adjacent to the main chat, which features multiple tabs where you’ll find more information about your question. So far, the experience is similar to browsing the web with an AI assistant ready to help. AI browsers like Perplexity Comet and ChatGPT Atlas would offer such an experience.
But this is where Disco deviates from the expected norm. Gemini may determine that your task can be improved with custom websites or apps. It will suggest the creation of a GenTab based on the chat that started the current session.
What is a GenTab?
As the name implies, GenTab is a tab generated with AI. Google explained in a blog post that GenTabs is the first feature they’re testing for Disco. Built with Gemini 3, GenTabs proactively understands your needs for complex tasks and creates web apps to help. It all happens via natural language, the staple feature of generative AI products. Users don’t have to actually know how to code apps or websites.
The video above offers the following prompt as an example: “I’m taking a road trip from Boston to Burlington next month. We want to go sledding and do other wintery things. Can you help me plan?” Before Disco, and AI Mode in Google Search, this is a task that would require plenty of manual internet searches. You’d open multiple tabs and spend several minutes on finding the information you need for the trip. You may even leave the tabs open for later, or restart the searches after a few days to complete the task. But GenTabs turns the chore of planning your next vacation into an exciting experience.
Gemini can use the information in the prompt and the websites you’ve opened to create a web app unique to your needs. For the prompt above, Gemini made an interactive site that looks like Google Maps. It has points of interest grouped by categories and a calendar. Everything is clickable, so you can interact with the newly created website or the GenTab. Also, you can continue to refine the experience in real-time by asking Disco to make changes to the GenTab, like adding weather information to the calendar. The resulting GenTab is unique, as nobody else will see the same website.
Where is Disco available?
Users will be able to create GenTabs on any topic, including learning experiences, as in the video above. Gemini will create on-demand apps with rich visuals to explain the concept you’re trying to grasp. Google notes in the blog post that the GenTabs feature is in its early days and not everything will work perfectly. Only a limited number of users will have access to Disco, as Google seeks user feedback on the experience and improvement suggestions.
It’s unclear whether Disco will become a commercial product, but GenTabs is the kind of feature that could easily transition to Chrome in the future. Google says that “the most compelling ideas from Disco may one day make their way into larger Google products,” but it’s using the new browser to test ideas as soon as possible. Interestingly, Disco is available only on macOS for the time being, so you’ll need a Mac to start browsing the web with bespoke GenTabs, after you sign up.
