Chrome on desktop will feature a feature very similar to Circle to Search

Google Lens in Chrome for desktop is getting an AI-powered improvement that could make it more like the desktop version of Circle to Search. As part of the Chrome update, Google will let you click a novel button right in the search box to activate Google Lens, so you can choose what you want to search for. Then, you’ll be able to do “multisearch,” or searches that include both text and an image found through Lens, thanks to a sidebar that appears right in the tab you’re browsing.

This feature could prove to be a more useful way to search, especially since you won’t have to leave the page you’re viewing by doing a separate Google search or opening a novel tab.

(It’s worth noting that you could already activate Google Lens via right-click or the three-dot menu and view results in a sidebar in the desktop version of Chrome, but what’s novel is a Google Lens icon in the search bar and the ability to perform many searches directly from that sidebar.)

The update enabling the feature is set to roll out globally in the “next few days,” according to Blog post from Chrome Vice President Parisa TabrizSearch results displayed in the sidebar may include Google’s sometimes quirky AI scans, but that feature will only be available to US users, Google spokesman Joshua Cruz says The Verge.

Google is also adding an AI-powered feature to Chrome that will essentially let you ask questions about your search history to facilitate you find a link you might want to revisit. Tabriz gives the example of asking “what was that ice cream shop I was looking at last week?” to see relevant links in your history about ice cream.

The tool, which will roll out “in the coming weeks” in the U.S. to Chrome desktops, is opt-in and will rely on a cloud-based model to deliver results. In a briefing with reporters, Tabriz discussed the possibility of rolling out the model on the device “once we can get the performance to where it’s a great user experience for us.”