- Google Chrome is testing new AI fraud detection feature
- It appears to use an on-device Large Language Model (LLM) to maintain user privacy
- AI-powered security tools, including fraud detection, can help combat the rise of AI-driven cyber threats
The world’s most popular browser, Google Chrometrying a new AI– Powerful tools designed to help you avoid online scams.
The feature is currently being tested and apparently uses artificial intelligence technology, specifically Large Language Model (LLM) On the device, analyze web pages and determine if they are suspicious or related to scams.
The development was spotted by Leopeva64 on X, who regularly highlights web browser features being tested. What they actually found was an enableable flag called “Client Detection Brand and Scam Detection Intent” that was present in the latest version of Chrome’s experimental browser Canary.
It looks like Chrome will also use artificial intelligence to detect scams, and there’s a new flag in Canary indicating this: https://t.co/uQb84zbqeW pic.twitter.com/7CyK5y4gtODecember 19, 2024
The new logo utilizes on-device LLM to investigate the content of any given webpage and find out what it is trying to do and whether that content matches the site’s intended purpose or brand.
The description of the flag explains this, which reads: “Enable on-device LLM (Large Language Model) output on the page to query the page’s brand and intent.”
On-device privacy is key
A key detail of this process is that it uses on-device LLM, which means that the web analysis happens on your device (rather than somewhere in the cloud, which would require transferring your browsing data to a third party). Simply put, this means your data will remain private.
To try this feature you must install the latest version Google Chrome Canary build, this is not a build I would generally recommend unless you’re really keen (in which case you can follow Newwin’s advice on how to enable the new flag).
This is the latest in a series of artificial intelligence tools launched by Chrome, which also includes a “Store Reviews” feature currently being tested. This feature uses AI to aggregate reviews from platforms such as Trustpilot or ScamAdvisor to help users quickly check whether an online store is reliable.
As always, we don’t know if the features in testing will make it to launch, but it’s likely that these features will – Google is keen on building AI features into its browser, and I expect we’ll see the rollout of this scam warning system soon. Unless the Google Chrome team finds some good reason to start over.
Even though Chrome has been the dominant web browser for a long time, Google shouldn’t rest on its laurels, and I think the company is smart enough to keep improving its browser to stay ahead of the curve. With scammers and hostile actors now having AI-powered tools at their disposal, it’s great to see Google (hopefully) introducing LLM to help protect Chrome users from unwanted attention from these nefarious types.