Google is reimagining the very concept of a web browser with an ambitious new experiment. Announced on December 12, 2025, "Disco" is an AI-powered browser prototype that aims to move beyond passive information consumption to active creation. Its core innovation, a feature called "GenTabs," analyzes a user's open tabs, search history, and chat prompts to automatically generate custom, interactive mini-applications tailored to their current task. This represents a significant step toward Google's vision of an "agentic" web, where the browser itself becomes a proactive tool for building and learning.
The Core Concept: From Browsing to Building
At the heart of Google's Disco experiment is a fundamental shift in user interaction. Instead of a traditional address bar, the browser greets users with a chat interface powered by the Gemini 3 AI model. Users describe what they need—be it planning a trip, researching a scientific concept, or organizing a meal plan. The AI responds by suggesting relevant web pages and, after a few interactions, can propose creating a "GenTab." This feature synthesizes the information from all open tabs related to the user's goal and compiles it into a single, functional application interface.
Examples of GenTab Applications:
- Entropy Explainer: A custom app generated from science research tabs.
- Interactive Garden Planner: A grid for plotting plant placements.
- 7-Day Meal Plan Manager: An app organizing breakfast, lunch, and dinner for cholesterol management.
- Travel Planner: Integrates calendars, maps, and crowd data with "Book Nearby Stays" buttons.
- Memory Match Game: A brain game created based on user activity.
How GenTabs Transform Information into Interaction
The power of GenTabs lies in their dynamic and contextual nature. Google demonstrated several compelling examples. A user researching the concept of entropy could have Disco generate an "Entropy Explainer" app. Someone planning a garden could get an interactive grid for plotting plant placements. Another demo showed a comprehensive travel planner app, complete with integrated calendars, route maps, and crowd-level predictions, all generated from disparate travel-related tabs. These GenTabs live alongside regular browser tabs but are distinguished by a special Gemini icon. Crucially, they are not static pages; users can interact with elements inside them, and the app reshapes itself in real-time based on that input.
Technical Foundation and Current Limitations
Disco is built on Google's latest and most capable AI model, Gemini 3, which provides the reasoning and code-generation capabilities necessary to "vibe-code" these applications on the fly. Google has been clear that Disco is an early-stage prototype from Google Labs. As such, users should expect bugs and imperfections. The company has opened a waitlist, with the initial version rolling out exclusively on macOS. A significant caveat for privacy-conscious users is that all activity within Disco—including AI chats and the content of visited pages—is sent to Google and logged for the purposes of improving the experiment.
Key Specifications & Availability:
- AI Model: Powered by Gemini 3.
- Core Feature: "GenTabs" – AI-generated, interactive mini-apps from browsing context.
- Initial Platform: macOS only (initial rollout).
- Status: Experimental prototype by Google Labs.
- Access: Available via waitlist.
- Privacy Note: All browsing activity and AI chats are sent to Google and logged.
The Future of Browsing and Search
Disco is more than a quirky experiment; it signals a potential future direction for mainstream browsers like Chrome. Google states the project is meant to help people "learn faster" and explore what browsing could become, admitting the best concepts from Disco may eventually find their way into its flagship product. This move aligns with the broader industry trend of using AI to synthesize information, reducing the need for users to manually collate data from multiple sources. By turning a research session into a usable tool with no coding required, Disco aims to dramatically lower the barrier between finding information and applying it.
A Cautious Step into an AI-Agentic Web
The launch of Disco marks an intriguing, if tentative, step toward a new paradigm for human-computer interaction on the web. It promises a future where the browser is not just a window to the internet but a workshop that builds tools specific to the user's immediate context. However, its success will depend on the reliability of its AI-generated apps, the resolution of inherent privacy concerns, and its ability to move from a compelling prototype to a robust, user-friendly product. For now, Disco offers a fascinating glimpse into Google's vision of a more assistive and generative online experience.