How to Effectively Use Gemini AI Tools Built into Chromebooks

Following the lead of the rest of the tech industry, Google wants to build out AI capabilities wherever possible. The Gemini app and models are at the forefront of this strategy, with the latest Google product with tons of AI capabilities being the Chromebook.

Specifically, these Gemini AI tools are now available on the Chromebook Plus models. Chromebook Plus is Google’s new name for the most modern and powerful of these laptops. It’s a mark to look out for when looking for the best Chromebook for students (or any other type of user).

Here explains the all new features that were just released and how to use them on ChromeOS. Gemini is fully integrated into the software, so AI support is always just a few clicks away.

Help Me Write

Help Me Write is a feature built into all of Google’s products, including Google Docs and Gmail. If you can’t think of anything, this feature will generate AI text for restaurant reviews, emails, blog posts, and more.

In ChromeOS, “Help me write” is just a click away. Right-click on your trackpad in a text field on a website and an input field will appear, allowing you to start composing your text. Just write the text you want and press Enter (or click the arrow). You’ll then be presented with a text excerpt to select from.

You can also right-click on existing text to adjust it. You can use this feature to shorten or expand what you’ve said, or to make it more or less formal. You can also add your own prompts (“make this sound more casual”) if you need to.

AI wallpaper and backgrounds

If the wallpapers that came with your Chromebook aren`t really grabbing you, then you can use generative AI to create some new ones. All you need is a prompt—like “a cabin in the middle of a peaceful meadow”—and ChromeOS will do the rest.

Right-click on a blank area of the desktop, then choose Set wallpaper and style and Wallpaper to bring up your options. You`ll see those options include Create with AI: Follow this link to get started. You’ll be asked to choose a design (such as “Landscape” or “Classical Art”), which you can adjust using text prompts.

You can do something similar with video backgrounds: With a video calling app open, click the arrow next to the video icon in the ChromeOS tray and select “Image.” You’ll see the same screen you used to create wallpaper.

Magic Editor in Google Photos

Magic Editor has been available for some time on Google Photos mobile, but now it’s available on Chromebooks too. The most important trick is that it lets you move objects and people in a picture or remove them completely.

To do this, Google Photos for Android must be installed as an app on ChromeOS. Open a picture and select “Edit” and you’ll see the Magic Editor button in the top left. Click the button to launch the separate Magic Editor interface.

Next, you need to select the object or person you want to edit. Try doodling on it, or click it once to see if the app can select it automatically. Then click Delete to remove the selection from the image, or click and drag to move it somewhere else. You’ll see several different generative AI approaches to the task, from which you can choose.

Gemini on the home screen

Another change you’ll notice when these AI tools come to your Chromebook is a new Gemini button in the tray at the bottom of the screen. Clicking it will bring up the Gemini AI app in its own window.

This is the same Gemini AI app that you can access from any browser on the internet. If you’ve never used it before, it can generate text and answer questions on virtually any topic, from quantum physics to small business ideas. If you’ve purchased the more sophisticated Gemini Advanced model, you can switch between that model and the standard model using the drop-down menu in the top left corner.

As always with generative AI, the usual caveats apply: these models may sometimes make things up and give inaccurate answers. Essentially, they are probabilistic machines with no actual intrinsic knowledge. So use them as a complement to other tools, rather than relying exclusively on them alone.