Explained: How Google’s Disco browser wants to replace your tabs with AI tools

Disco

Google Labs has unveiled Disco, an experimental AI-powered browser that aims to rethink how we use the web. Built on Chromium and powered by Gemini 3, Disco is not just another Chrome alternative. It represents Google’s answer to a growing wave of AI-first browsers like Comet, Atlas and Dia that want to move beyond tabs and turn browsing into an active, task-driven experience.

What is Disco, exactly?

Disco is an experimental browser from Google Labs designed to explore what web browsing could look like in an AI-first world. Google describes it as a “vehicle” to reimagine how people browse and build on the modern web. Under the hood, it is built on Chromium, so the foundations will feel familiar to Chrome users. Tabs look similar, sites load the same way, and you still navigate the open web.

The difference is what happens on top of that foundation. Disco treats the web less like a collection of pages and more like a set of building blocks that AI can reorganise into interactive tools.

GenTabs, the core idea

The flagship feature in Disco is GenTabs, powered by Gemini 3. Instead of opening dozens of tabs and stitching information together yourself, GenTabs generate interactive web apps based on what you are trying to do.

Disco looks at your open tabs, your chat history and your prompt, then decides what kind of tool would help most. Planning a trip, learning a topic or organising a project no longer means juggling search results, notes and spreadsheets. The browser builds a dedicated interface for the task.

In Google’s demo, planning a cherry blossom trip to Japan creates a GenTab with a full planner. It includes calendars, timelines, maps and contextual cards showing crowd levels in different cities. Buttons like “Historical Bloom Trends” or “Book Nearby Stays” dynamically update the same GenTab instead of sending you off to new pages.

Traditional tabs still exist. Links open in the background, and everything generated by Disco links back to original sources. Google is keen to stress that generative elements remain grounded in the web rather than replacing it.

Chat as the new address bar

According to Google, Disco blends chat and browsing more tightly than Chrome ever has. You can type a question or command into the chat box, and it behaves like an address bar when needed. When you visit a standard website, a familiar URL bar appears, maintaining continuity with how browsers work today.

This dual-mode approach is key. Disco does not intend to abandon the web. It layers AI on top of it, letting users slide between exploration, conversation and task execution without changing tools.

No code, just intent

One of Disco’s more ambitious ideas is that users never need to write code. You describe the tool you want in natural language, refine it conversationally, and the browser generates it. In some cases, Disco even suggests tools you did not realise you needed based on what you are working on.

Examples include meal planners, gardening planners and even a fully interactive 3D model of the solar system generated on request. These are not static pages but dynamic experiences assembled in real time.

How Disco fits into the AI browser wave

Disco arrives as AI browsers suddenly become a crowded category. Products like Comet, Atlas and Dia are all chasing a similar idea. Tabs are a relic of a simpler web, and AI should help users think in tasks rather than pages.

What could set Disco apart is Google’s scale and its emphasis on keeping the web itself central. While some AI browsers feel closer to closed assistants, Disco insists that every output ties back to live web sources. It is also notable that Google openly frames Disco as an experiment, with the clearest signal being its statement that the best ideas could eventually flow into Chrome.

Availability and what comes next

Google Labs is opening a waitlist for Disco starting today, with an initial rollout on macOS. The company says it is deliberately starting small so it can learn quickly and collaborate with early users on shaping what future browsers should look like.

Whether Disco becomes a product or a proving ground, its direction is clear. Browsers are no longer just windows to the web.