Google Chrome is downloading a 4 GB Gemini Nano model onto users' machines without consent, with no opt-in, no opt-out short of enterprise t
The tl;dr:
Chrome is silently installing a 4GB Gemini Nano model in your user profile.
There's no way to opt out of this.
There's no notification.
If you delete the .bin file, it silently reinstalls it.
This happens on both Windows and Mac. As yet, I can't confirm whether it happens on Android or iOS.
The only way to disable it is to enter chrome://flags and disable all Chrome's AI features, or uninstall Chrome entirely.
This fundamentally shifts much of the burden for Google's AI-enabled processes to the user's system.
This isn't done for privacy reasons (for example, to ensure your data never leaves your system). Google's just co-opting your system into its processing network. Which means the costs in bloated storage, bandwidth, and additional power usage are shifted to you.
As of yet, this does not appear to affect other Chromium-based browsers; I don't see it in either Edge or Vivaldi.
My suggestion: delete Chrome immediately. And when the uninstall asks why? Tell them. If you live in a country in which GDPR applies, consider filing a complaint. But, at the bare minimum, protect yourself, your software, your hardware, your bandwidth.
