Google Ships Chrome On-Device AI API Over W3C and Mozilla Objections
Google has shipped the Chrome Prompt API, enabling any website to dispatch prompts to a locally-running Gemini Nano model without a permission dialog. The approximately 4GB model auto-downloads to user devices; sites must accept Google's Terms of Service to access the API — an unusual condition for what is marketed as a web standard. W3C TAG, Mozilla, WebKit, and Microsoft each raised formal pre-ship objections; Google shipped regardless.
Why It Matters
This sets a precedent for browser-vendor-bundled AI that bypasses the open-standards process. Builders relying on cross-browser AI features should not assume parity: this API is Chrome-only and Google-ToS-gated, structuring on-device AI around a single vendor's model and terms.