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Getting Started with Chrome Nano AI in 5 Minutes: Complete Beginner's Guide

Keywords: Chrome Nano AI tutorial, Chrome Nano AI getting started, Gemini Nano tutorial, LanguageModel API tutorial, on-device AI

Ready to add AI capabilities to your web applications without managing API keys, worrying about costs, or sending data to external servers? Chrome Nano AI makes it possible with just a few lines of code.

This Chrome Nano AI tutorial will walk you through everything you need to get started with Chrome's built-in LanguageModel API in under 5 minutes—perfect for beginners with basic JavaScript knowledge.

Table of Contents

Reading Time: 5-7 minutes | Difficulty: Beginner | Last Updated: January 10, 2026

What is Chrome Nano AI?

Chrome Nano AI is Google's built-in artificial intelligence system that runs directly in your browser. Powered by the Gemini Nano model, it provides access to AI capabilities through the LanguageModel API without requiring external API calls, managing credentials, or paying per-request costs.

Key Benefits:

  • Zero Cost: No API keys or usage fees required
  • Complete Privacy: All processing happens locally on your device
  • No Network Dependency: Works offline after initial model download
  • Simple Integration: Native browser API with straightforward JavaScript
  • Fast Response Times: No network latency for local processing

Unlike traditional cloud-based AI services that require complex integrations and send your data to external servers, Chrome Nano AI keeps everything on your device—making it ideal for privacy-first automation and rapid prototyping.

Before You Start: Prerequisites

You'll need:

  1. Chrome 138 or later (check at chrome://version)
  2. Basic JavaScript knowledge (understanding of async/await)
  3. A code editor (VS Code, Sublime Text, or any text editor)
  4. 5 minutes of your time

No npm packages, no build tools, and no API keys required—just a modern Chrome browser.

Step 1: Check Browser Compatibility

Before diving into code, let's verify your browser supports Chrome Nano AI. Open Chrome and check these two things:

1.1 Verify Chrome Version

Navigate to chrome://version in your browser. You should see version 138 or higher.

![Screenshot placeholder: Chrome version page showing version 138+]

1.2 Check AI Availability

Open Chrome DevTools (F12 or Cmd+Option+I on Mac) and run this quick test:

// Check if LanguageModel API exists
console.log('LanguageModel available:', 'LanguageModel' in window);

// Check model status
if ('LanguageModel' in window) {
  LanguageModel.availability().then(status => {
    console.log('Model status:', status);
  });
}

Expected Output:

  • LanguageModel available: true
  • Model status: readily-available (or downloadable if not yet installed)

If you see undefined or unavailable, proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Enable Chrome Built-in AI

Chrome's built-in AI features must be explicitly enabled. Here's how:

2.1 Access Chrome AI Settings

  1. Type chrome://settings/ai in your address bar
  2. Press Enter to navigate to Chrome AI Settings

![Screenshot placeholder: Chrome AI settings page]

2.2 Enable Built-in AI Features

On the AI settings page, ensure these options are enabled:

  • Enable Built-in AI APIs - Toggle ON
  • Enable Prompt API - Toggle ON (if available separately)

2.3 Download the Model (If Required)

If the model status was downloadable in Step 1.2, you need to trigger the download:

// This requires a user gesture (must be in a click handler)
document.getElementById('downloadBtn').addEventListener('click', async () => {
  try {
    const session = await LanguageModel.create();
    console.log('Model downloaded and session created!');
    session.destroy(); // Clean up
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Download failed:', error.message);
  }
});

The download typically takes 1-3 minutes depending on your connection speed. The model size is approximately 200-500MB.

Step 3: Your First AI Integration

Now for the fun part—let's write your first Chrome Nano AI application. Create an HTML file with this simple example:

3.1 Basic HTML Setup

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>Chrome Nano AI - Getting Started</title>
  <style>
    body {
      font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', sans-serif;
      max-width: 800px;
      margin: 50px auto;
      padding: 20px;
    }
    textarea, button {
      width: 100%;
      padding: 12px;
      margin: 10px 0;
      font-size: 16px;
    }
    textarea {
      min-height: 100px;
      border: 2px solid #e0e0e0;
      border-radius: 8px;
    }
    button {
      background: #1a73e8;
      color: white;
      border: none;
      border-radius: 8px;
      cursor: pointer;
      font-weight: 600;
    }
    button:hover {
      background: #1557b0;
    }
    button:disabled {
      background: #ccc;
      cursor: not-allowed;
    }
    #result {
      margin-top: 20px;
      padding: 20px;
      background: #f5f5f5;
      border-radius: 8px;
      white-space: pre-wrap;
    }
    .error {
      color: #d32f2f;
      background: #ffebee;
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <h1>Chrome Nano AI Demo</h1>
  <p>Enter a prompt and get an AI-generated response—all processed locally in your browser.</p>

  <textarea id="prompt" placeholder="Enter your prompt here... (e.g., 'Summarize the benefits of on-device AI')"></textarea>
  <button id="generateBtn">Generate Response</button>

  <div id="result"></div>

  <script src="app.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

3.2 JavaScript Implementation (app.js)

Create app.js in the same directory:

// Simple Chrome Nano AI Integration
class NanoAI {
  constructor() {
    this.session = null;
  }

  // Check if API is available
  static isAvailable() {
    return typeof window !== 'undefined' && 'LanguageModel' in window;
  }

  // Check model availability status
  static async checkAvailability() {
    if (!NanoAI.isAvailable()) {
      throw new Error('LanguageModel API not available in this browser');
    }
    return await LanguageModel.availability();
  }

  // Create a new session
  async createSession() {
    const availability = await NanoAI.checkAvailability();

    if (availability === 'unavailable') {
      throw new Error('AI model is unavailable. Check chrome://settings/ai');
    }

    if (availability === 'downloadable') {
      throw new Error('AI model needs to be downloaded. This requires a user click.');
    }

    if (availability === 'downloading') {
      throw new Error('AI model is currently downloading. Please wait...');
    }

    // Create session with default parameters
    this.session = await LanguageModel.create({
      temperature: 0.7,
      topK: 5
    });

    return this.session;
  }

  // Generate response from prompt
  async prompt(text) {
    if (!this.session) {
      await this.createSession();
    }
    return await this.session.prompt(text);
  }

  // Clean up resources
  destroy() {
    if (this.session) {
      this.session.destroy();
      this.session = null;
    }
  }
}

// UI Logic
const ai = new NanoAI();
const promptInput = document.getElementById('prompt');
const generateBtn = document.getElementById('generateBtn');
const resultDiv = document.getElementById('result');

generateBtn.addEventListener('click', async () => {
  const prompt = promptInput.value.trim();

  if (!prompt) {
    resultDiv.textContent = 'Please enter a prompt first!';
    resultDiv.className = 'error';
    return;
  }

  // Disable button during processing
  generateBtn.disabled = true;
  generateBtn.textContent = 'Generating...';
  resultDiv.textContent = 'Processing your request...';
  resultDiv.className = '';

  try {
    const response = await ai.prompt(prompt);
    resultDiv.textContent = response;
  } catch (error) {
    resultDiv.textContent = `Error: ${error.message}`;
    resultDiv.className = 'error';
  } finally {
    generateBtn.disabled = false;
    generateBtn.textContent = 'Generate Response';
  }
});

// Clean up on page unload
window.addEventListener('beforeunload', () => {
  ai.destroy();
});

3.3 Test Your Application

  1. Open index.html in Chrome (you can just double-click the file)
  2. Enter a prompt like: "Explain how on-device AI works in 3 sentences"
  3. Click "Generate Response"
  4. Watch the magic happen—all processed locally on your device!

Expected behavior: Within 1-2 seconds, you'll see an AI-generated response appear below the button. No loading indicators for network requests because there aren't any.

Step 4: Adding Streaming Responses

For a better user experience with longer responses, let's add streaming support. This shows text as it's generated rather than waiting for the complete response.

4.1 Add Streaming Method

Add this method to the NanoAI class in app.js:

// Add this method to the NanoAI class
async *promptStreaming(text) {
  if (!this.session) {
    await this.createSession();
  }

  let accumulatedContent = '';
  for await (const chunk of this.session.promptStreaming(text)) {
    accumulatedContent += chunk;
    yield accumulatedContent; // Yield incremental updates
  }
}

4.2 Update UI Logic for Streaming

Replace the button click handler with this streaming version:

generateBtn.addEventListener('click', async () => {
  const prompt = promptInput.value.trim();

  if (!prompt) {
    resultDiv.textContent = 'Please enter a prompt first!';
    resultDiv.className = 'error';
    return;
  }

  generateBtn.disabled = true;
  generateBtn.textContent = 'Generating...';
  resultDiv.textContent = '';
  resultDiv.className = '';

  try {
    // Use streaming for real-time updates
    for await (const content of ai.promptStreaming(prompt)) {
      resultDiv.textContent = content;
    }
  } catch (error) {
    resultDiv.textContent = `Error: ${error.message}`;
    resultDiv.className = 'error';
  } finally {
    generateBtn.disabled = false;
    generateBtn.textContent = 'Generate Response';
  }
});

Now when you generate a response, you'll see the text appear incrementally—just like ChatGPT or Claude's streaming interface.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Even with this simple Chrome Nano AI tutorial, beginners often hit a few common obstacles. Here's how to avoid them:

Pitfall 1: User Gesture Requirement

Problem: Getting NotAllowedError when creating a session.

Cause: Creating a session requires a user gesture (click, tap, key press) if the model needs to be downloaded.

Solution: Always create sessions inside event handlers:

// ❌ Wrong - May fail without user gesture
async function init() {
  const session = await LanguageModel.create();
}
init();

// ✅ Correct - Inside click handler
button.addEventListener('click', async () => {
  const session = await LanguageModel.create();
});

Pitfall 2: Forgetting to Destroy Sessions

Problem: Memory leaks and poor performance over time.

Cause: Sessions consume resources and must be explicitly cleaned up.

Solution: Always destroy sessions when done:

// Create session
const session = await LanguageModel.create();

try {
  const result = await session.prompt('Your prompt');
  // Use result...
} finally {
  session.destroy(); // Always clean up
}

Pitfall 3: Not Checking Availability

Problem: Code breaks on unsupported browsers or when AI is disabled.

Cause: Assuming the API exists without verification.

Solution: Always check availability first:

// ✅ Always check before using
if (!NanoAI.isAvailable()) {
  console.error('Chrome Nano AI not available');
  // Show fallback UI or use cloud API
  return;
}

const status = await LanguageModel.availability();
if (status !== 'readily-available') {
  // Handle downloading or unavailable states
}

Pitfall 4: Ignoring Error States

Problem: App hangs or shows cryptic errors when things go wrong.

Cause: Not handling different availability states properly.

Solution: Handle all possible states explicitly:

async function safeCreateSession() {
  const availability = await LanguageModel.availability();

  switch (availability) {
    case 'readily-available':
      return await LanguageModel.create();

    case 'downloadable':
      throw new Error('Model not downloaded. Requires user click to download.');

    case 'downloading':
      throw new Error('Model downloading. Please wait...');

    case 'unavailable':
      throw new Error('Model unavailable. Check chrome://settings/ai');

    default:
      throw new Error(`Unknown availability state: ${availability}`);
  }
}

Pitfall 5: Using Session State Incorrectly

Problem: Unexpected responses that reference previous prompts.

Cause: Sessions maintain conversation context across multiple prompts.

Solution: Create new sessions for independent tasks:

// ❌ Wrong - Session remembers previous context
const session = await LanguageModel.create();
await session.prompt('What is AI?');
await session.prompt('How does it work?'); // References "AI" from previous prompt

// ✅ Correct - New session for independent task
async function processTask(prompt) {
  const session = await LanguageModel.create();
  try {
    return await session.prompt(prompt);
  } finally {
    session.destroy(); // Clean up
  }
}

Real-World Example: Page Summarizer

Let's build something practical—a tool that summarizes the current web page using Chrome Nano AI. This demonstrates how to integrate with real content and handle common use cases.

Complete Page Summarizer

Create a new file summarizer.html:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>Page Summarizer - Chrome Nano AI</title>
  <style>
    * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; }

    body {
      font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', sans-serif;
      line-height: 1.6;
      color: #333;
    }

    .container {
      max-width: 900px;
      margin: 0 auto;
      padding: 40px 20px;
    }

    h1 {
      font-size: 28px;
      margin-bottom: 10px;
      color: #1a73e8;
    }

    .subtitle {
      color: #5f6368;
      margin-bottom: 30px;
    }

    .content-section {
      background: white;
      border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;
      border-radius: 8px;
      padding: 20px;
      margin-bottom: 20px;
    }

    textarea {
      width: 100%;
      min-height: 200px;
      padding: 15px;
      border: 2px solid #e0e0e0;
      border-radius: 8px;
      font-family: inherit;
      font-size: 14px;
      resize: vertical;
    }

    .button-group {
      display: flex;
      gap: 10px;
      margin-top: 15px;
    }

    button {
      padding: 12px 24px;
      border: none;
      border-radius: 8px;
      font-size: 16px;
      font-weight: 600;
      cursor: pointer;
      transition: all 0.2s;
    }

    .primary-btn {
      background: #1a73e8;
      color: white;
    }

    .primary-btn:hover:not(:disabled) {
      background: #1557b0;
    }

    .secondary-btn {
      background: #f1f3f4;
      color: #5f6368;
    }

    .secondary-btn:hover {
      background: #e8eaed;
    }

    button:disabled {
      opacity: 0.5;
      cursor: not-allowed;
    }

    #summary {
      background: #f8f9fa;
      border-left: 4px solid #1a73e8;
      padding: 20px;
      border-radius: 4px;
      white-space: pre-wrap;
      line-height: 1.8;
    }

    .empty-state {
      text-align: center;
      color: #5f6368;
      padding: 40px 20px;
    }

    .status {
      padding: 12px;
      border-radius: 6px;
      margin-bottom: 15px;
      font-size: 14px;
    }

    .status.info { background: #e8f0fe; color: #1967d2; }
    .status.success { background: #e6f4ea; color: #137333; }
    .status.error { background: #fce8e6; color: #c5221f; }

    .stats {
      display: flex;
      gap: 20px;
      margin-top: 10px;
      font-size: 13px;
      color: #5f6368;
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <div class="container">
    <h1>Page Summarizer</h1>
    <p class="subtitle">Summarize any text content using Chrome's built-in AI</p>

    <div class="content-section">
      <h2 style="margin-bottom: 15px;">Input Content</h2>
      <textarea
        id="content"
        placeholder="Paste article text, web page content, or any text you want to summarize...

Example: Try pasting a Wikipedia article or news story!"
      ></textarea>

      <div class="button-group">
        <button class="primary-btn" id="summarizeBtn">Generate Summary</button>
        <button class="secondary-btn" id="clearBtn">Clear</button>
      </div>

      <div class="stats">
        <span>Characters: <strong id="charCount">0</strong></span>
        <span>Words: <strong id="wordCount">0</strong></span>
      </div>
    </div>

    <div class="content-section">
      <h2 style="margin-bottom: 15px;">AI Summary</h2>
      <div id="statusBar"></div>
      <div id="summary" class="empty-state">
        Summary will appear here after processing...
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>

  <script>
    // NanoAI Implementation with error handling
    class NanoAI {
      constructor() {
        this.session = null;
      }

      static isAvailable() {
        return typeof window !== 'undefined' && 'LanguageModel' in window;
      }

      static async checkAvailability() {
        if (!NanoAI.isAvailable()) {
          throw new Error('LanguageModel API not available. Requires Chrome 138+.');
        }
        return await LanguageModel.availability();
      }

      async createSession() {
        const availability = await NanoAI.checkAvailability();

        const errorMessages = {
          'unavailable': 'AI model unavailable. Enable at chrome://settings/ai',
          'downloadable': 'AI model not downloaded. Click to trigger download.',
          'downloading': 'AI model downloading. Please wait...'
        };

        if (errorMessages[availability]) {
          throw new Error(errorMessages[availability]);
        }

        if (!this.session) {
          this.session = await LanguageModel.create({
            temperature: 0.7,
            topK: 5
          });
        }

        return this.session;
      }

      async *promptStreaming(text) {
        const session = await this.createSession();
        let accumulatedContent = '';

        for await (const chunk of session.promptStreaming(text)) {
          accumulatedContent += chunk;
          yield accumulatedContent;
        }
      }

      destroy() {
        if (this.session) {
          this.session.destroy();
          this.session = null;
        }
      }
    }

    // UI Logic
    const ai = new NanoAI();
    const contentInput = document.getElementById('content');
    const summarizeBtn = document.getElementById('summarizeBtn');
    const clearBtn = document.getElementById('clearBtn');
    const summaryDiv = document.getElementById('summary');
    const statusBar = document.getElementById('statusBar');
    const charCount = document.getElementById('charCount');
    const wordCount = document.getElementById('wordCount');

    // Update character and word counts
    contentInput.addEventListener('input', () => {
      const text = contentInput.value;
      charCount.textContent = text.length;
      wordCount.textContent = text.trim().split(/\s+/).filter(w => w).length;
    });

    // Show status message
    function showStatus(message, type = 'info') {
      statusBar.innerHTML = `<div class="status ${type}">${message}</div>`;
    }

    // Clear status
    function clearStatus() {
      statusBar.innerHTML = '';
    }

    // Summarize content
    summarizeBtn.addEventListener('click', async () => {
      const content = contentInput.value.trim();

      if (!content) {
        showStatus('Please enter some content to summarize', 'error');
        return;
      }

      if (content.length < 100) {
        showStatus('Content is too short. Please provide at least 100 characters.', 'error');
        return;
      }

      summarizeBtn.disabled = true;
      summarizeBtn.textContent = 'Summarizing...';
      summaryDiv.textContent = '';
      summaryDiv.className = '';
      showStatus('Processing with Chrome Nano AI...', 'info');

      const startTime = Date.now();

      try {
        const prompt = `Summarize the following content. Provide:
1. A brief overview (2-3 sentences)
2. Key points (3-5 bullet points)
3. Main takeaway (1 sentence)

Content to summarize:
${content}`;

        for await (const summary of ai.promptStreaming(prompt)) {
          summaryDiv.textContent = summary;
        }

        const duration = ((Date.now() - startTime) / 1000).toFixed(1);
        showStatus(`Summary generated successfully in ${duration}s`, 'success');
      } catch (error) {
        summaryDiv.textContent = `Error: ${error.message}`;
        summaryDiv.className = 'empty-state';
        showStatus(error.message, 'error');
      } finally {
        summarizeBtn.disabled = false;
        summarizeBtn.textContent = 'Generate Summary';
      }
    });

    // Clear functionality
    clearBtn.addEventListener('click', () => {
      contentInput.value = '';
      summaryDiv.innerHTML = '<div class="empty-state">Summary will appear here after processing...</div>';
      clearStatus();
      charCount.textContent = '0';
      wordCount.textContent = '0';
    });

    // Clean up on page unload
    window.addEventListener('beforeunload', () => {
      ai.destroy();
    });

    // Check availability on load
    (async () => {
      try {
        const available = NanoAI.isAvailable();
        if (!available) {
          showStatus('Chrome Nano AI not available. This requires Chrome 138+.', 'error');
          summarizeBtn.disabled = true;
        }
      } catch (error) {
        showStatus(error.message, 'error');
      }
    })();
  </script>
</body>
</html>

How It Works

This page summarizer demonstrates several important concepts:

  1. Content Processing: Takes user input and generates a structured summary
  2. Streaming UI: Shows incremental progress as the AI generates text
  3. Error Handling: Gracefully handles all error states
  4. User Feedback: Displays processing time and status messages
  5. Resource Management: Properly cleans up sessions

Try it with any article, blog post, or long-form content. The AI will extract key points and generate a concise summary—all processed locally on your device.

Next Steps: Advanced Features

Now that you've mastered the basics of this Chrome Nano AI tutorial, here are some advanced topics to explore:

1. Multi-Agent Systems

Combine Chrome Nano AI with other specialized agents for complex tasks like browser automation. Use Nano AI for quick decisions and cloud models for complex reasoning.

2. Hybrid Architecture

Build a fallback system that uses Chrome Nano AI when available and switches to cloud APIs when needed:

class HybridAI {
  async prompt(text) {
    try {
      if (NanoAI.isAvailable()) {
        return await this.nanoAI.prompt(text);
      }
    } catch (error) {
      console.warn('Nano AI failed, using cloud API', error);
    }

    // Fallback to cloud API
    return await this.cloudAPI.prompt(text);
  }
}

Learn more about flexible LLM provider management for production applications.

3. Chrome Extension Integration

Package your Chrome Nano AI application as a browser extension. This enables:

  • Background processing
  • Cross-tab communication
  • Persistent sessions
  • Integration with web pages

Chrome extensions can leverage natural language automation to build powerful tools.

4. Specialized APIs

Explore Chrome's other built-in AI APIs beyond the basic LanguageModel:

  • Summarizer API: Optimized for content summarization
  • Translator API: On-device translation
  • Writer API: Content generation assistance
  • Rewriter API: Text refinement and restructuring

Check out the comprehensive Chrome Nano AI technical guide for deep dives into these specialized APIs.

5. Production Considerations

For production applications, consider:

  • Session pooling for better resource management
  • Request queuing to avoid overwhelming the model
  • Retry logic with exponential backoff
  • Telemetry and error logging
  • Graceful degradation strategies

Troubleshooting Guide

Issue: "LanguageModel is not defined"

Symptoms: Console shows ReferenceError: LanguageModel is not defined

Causes & Solutions:

  1. Chrome version too old - Update to Chrome 138+
  2. AI features not enabled - Visit chrome://settings/ai and enable built-in AI
  3. Running in incompatible context - Ensure you're in a regular browsing context, not a service worker (without proper setup)

Issue: "NotAllowedError"

Symptoms: Error when calling LanguageModel.create()

Causes & Solutions:

  1. No user gesture - Wrap session creation in a click handler
  2. Model needs download - Check availability status first
  3. Security restrictions - Ensure you're on http:// or https:// (not file://)

Issue: Slow or Hanging Responses

Symptoms: Prompts take very long or never complete

Causes & Solutions:

  1. Very long input - Break content into smaller chunks (max ~8K tokens)
  2. Complex reasoning - Consider using a cloud API for complex tasks
  3. Resource constraints - Close other tabs to free up memory
  4. Session not cleaned up - Ensure you're calling session.destroy()

Issue: Inconsistent or Poor Quality Results

Symptoms: AI responses are off-topic or low quality

Causes & Solutions:

  1. Vague prompts - Be more explicit and provide clear instructions
  2. Wrong temperature setting - Lower temperature (0.3-0.5) for factual content
  3. Session state pollution - Create new sessions for independent tasks
  4. Task too complex - Gemini Nano works best for simpler tasks

Issue: "Model downloading" Error

Symptoms: Availability status stuck on "downloading"

Causes & Solutions:

  1. Download in progress - Wait 1-3 minutes for completion
  2. Network issues - Check internet connection
  3. Insufficient storage - Free up disk space (model is ~200-500MB)
  4. Corrupted download - Disable and re-enable AI features at chrome://settings/ai

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do I need an API key to use Chrome Nano AI?

No! Chrome Nano AI is completely free and requires no API keys, authentication, or external accounts. It's built directly into Chrome and runs locally on your device. This makes it perfect for prototyping, learning, and building privacy-first applications.

Q: How much does Chrome Nano AI cost to use?

Chrome Nano AI is 100% free with no usage limits, no rate limiting, and no hidden costs. Unlike cloud-based AI services that charge per request or token, all processing happens on your device at no cost.

Q: Will Chrome Nano AI work offline?

Yes! After the initial model download, Chrome Nano AI works completely offline. Your device doesn't need an internet connection to process prompts. This makes it ideal for environments with limited connectivity or when you need guaranteed availability.

Q: What's the difference between Chrome Nano AI and ChatGPT?

Chrome Nano AI:

  • Runs locally on your device
  • Free and no API key required
  • Complete privacy (no data sent anywhere)
  • Works offline after initial download
  • Limited to simpler AI tasks
  • Faster response times (no network latency)

ChatGPT (and similar cloud APIs):

  • Runs on external servers
  • Requires API key and costs money per request
  • Data sent to OpenAI's servers
  • Requires internet connection
  • More capable for complex reasoning
  • Network latency adds delay

Q: How much storage does Chrome Nano AI require?

The Gemini Nano model requires approximately 200-500MB of disk space, depending on your device and Chrome version. This is a one-time download that happens automatically when you first create a session.

Q: Can I use Chrome Nano AI in production applications?

Yes, but consider these factors:

Good for production:

  • Internal tools and dashboards
  • Browser extensions for end users
  • Content summarization features
  • Simple classification tasks
  • Privacy-sensitive applications

Use with caution:

  • Customer-facing chatbots (consider fallback to cloud APIs)
  • Complex reasoning tasks (use hybrid approach)
  • Mission-critical applications (need robust error handling)

Many production applications use a hybrid approach, leveraging Chrome Nano AI when appropriate and falling back to cloud APIs for complex tasks. See our guide on flexible LLM provider integration.

Q: What browsers support Chrome Nano AI?

Currently, only Chrome 138+ and Chromium-based browsers (like Microsoft Edge with Chromium 138+) support the LanguageModel API. Firefox, Safari, and older Chrome versions do not support it.

Q: How do I know if Chrome Nano AI is working correctly?

Run this diagnostic test in Chrome DevTools:

async function testNanoAI() {
  console.log('1. API Available:', 'LanguageModel' in window);

  const status = await LanguageModel.availability();
  console.log('2. Model Status:', status);

  if (status === 'readily-available') {
    const session = await LanguageModel.create();
    const response = await session.prompt('Say "working" if you can see this');
    console.log('3. Response:', response);
    session.destroy();
  }
}

testNanoAI();

Expected output: API available, status "readily-available", and a meaningful response to the test prompt.

Q: Can I fine-tune Chrome Nano AI for my specific use case?

No, Chrome Nano AI doesn't currently support fine-tuning or custom model training. You're using the pre-trained Gemini Nano model as-is. For domain-specific customization, you'll need to use cloud-based APIs that support fine-tuning or use prompt engineering techniques to guide the model's behavior.

Q: Is my data sent to Google when using Chrome Nano AI?

No. Chrome Nano AI processes everything locally on your device. No prompts, responses, or any other data are sent to Google or any external servers. This is fundamentally different from cloud-based AI services. For more on privacy implications, see our article on privacy-first browser automation.

Additional Resources

Official Documentation

TypeScript Support

Install type definitions for better IDE support:

npm install --save-dev @types/dom-chromium-ai

Community Resources

Continue your Chrome Nano AI learning journey:

Conclusion

Congratulations! You've completed this Chrome Nano AI tutorial and learned how to integrate Chrome's built-in LanguageModel API into your applications. In just 5 minutes, you've gone from zero to building functional AI-powered applications—no API keys, no costs, and complete privacy.

What You've Learned:

  • How to check Chrome Nano AI compatibility and availability
  • Creating and managing AI sessions with proper resource cleanup
  • Building both basic and streaming AI integrations
  • Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
  • Building a real-world page summarizer application
  • Advanced patterns for production applications

Key Takeaways:

  1. Zero Cost: Chrome Nano AI is completely free with no API keys or usage limits
  2. Complete Privacy: All processing happens locally—no data leaves your device
  3. Simple Integration: Just a few lines of JavaScript to get started
  4. Production Ready: With proper error handling, it's suitable for real applications
  5. Hybrid Approach: Combine with cloud APIs for the best of both worlds

Chrome Nano AI opens up exciting possibilities for building privacy-first, cost-effective AI applications directly in the browser. Whether you're building browser extensions, internal tools, or experimenting with AI features, the LanguageModel API provides a solid foundation.

Ready to take your skills to the next level? Explore Onpiste's browser automation platform to see Chrome Nano AI in action, powering sophisticated multi-agent automation workflows with complete privacy and zero API costs.

Happy coding, and welcome to the world of on-device AI!

About Onpiste: We're building privacy-first browser automation tools powered by local AI. Install Onpiste from the Chrome Web Store to experience Chrome Nano AI in production. No API keys required, complete privacy, and powerful natural language automation capabilities.

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