Google Unveils A.I. Agent That Can Use Websites on Its Own
Google has unveiled a prototype of an artificial intelligence agent, called Mariner, that can autonomously perform tasks such as online shopping and working with tools like spreadsheets. The technology, known as an A.I. agent, is based on Gemini 2.0, the core technology that underpins many of Google’s A.I. products and research experiments.
Mariner is a neural network that learns from a wide range of data, including text, images, and sounds. By recognizing patterns in this data, the system can learn to generate text and take actions on its own. For example, it can use software apps, websites, and other online tools, and even understand that it needs to press a button to make something happen.
However, Mariner is designed to be used “with a human in the loop,” meaning that it will not perform tasks without user input. For instance, it can fill a virtual shopping cart with groceries if a user is in an active browser tab, but it will not actually buy the groceries. The user must make the purchase.
Google’s chief executive, Sundar Pichai, said that the developments bring the company closer to its vision of a universal assistant. The project was developed as an extension for Google’s popular web browser, Chrome, making it an important platform for the company’s future A.I. ambitions.
However, the project may face challenges. The Justice Department has asked a federal judge to force Google to sell or spin off Chrome after a landmark ruling that the company’s search engine is an illegal monopoly. Additionally, Mariner, like other chatbots, makes mistakes, and the company has acknowledged that it is still an experimental technology.
Google is sharing Mariner with a small number of testers outside the company but has not yet shared plans for a wider release. The company also showed off a new version of Project Astra, a smartphone digital assistant that responds to images and text as well as verbal commands.