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Imagine asking your browser to plan a trip to Japan, and instead of just giving you a list of links, it actually writes code to build you a custom, interactive travel app in seconds. That is the promise of Disco, a new experiment from Google Labs that uses AI to reimagine how we use the web. And it does this using a mind-bending new feature called GenTabs, powered by Google’s smartest AI model yet, Gemini 3.
What is a ‘GenTab’?
At its core, Disco isn’t trying to replace Chrome (yet). It’s a sandbox for testing the idea of “GenTabs.” Think of a GenTab as an AI-generated mini-app that builds itself based on what you are looking for. Instead of just giving you a list of blue links or a text summary, Gemini 3 looks at your chat history and the tabs you have open, and it codes a custom interface for you on the fly.
For example, if you are planning a trip to Japan, you don’t just get a blog post about Kyoto. Disco will look through relevant tabs for you, and then generate an interactive map and itinerary builder right there in the browser. It’s essentially “vibe coding” but built directly into your web surfing experience.
It actually wants you to browse
What makes Disco different from other “AI Browsers” (like Arc Search) is that it doesn’t try to hide the web from you. It looks like Disco encourages you to open more tabs.
The AI uses those open tabs as “grounding.” If you find a cool ramen shop and open the link, the GenTab sees it and adds it to your generated itinerary. It creates a loop where you browse the web to find info, and the AI organizes that info into a usable tool—whether that’s a flashcard app for studying, a price calculator for movers, or a meal planner.
A sneak peek at ‘Aluminium OS’?
While Disco is launching as a standalone experiment, I think this might be a sneak peek of something bigger that’s coming. We know Google is actively working on “Aluminium OS,” the Android-based successor to ChromeOS that is expected to launch next year. We also know that this new OS is being built “from the ground up” with AI at its core.
Could GenTabs be a part of the new interface for that operating system? It makes perfect sense, right? Instead of a static desktop where you just open apps, the future “Chromebook” could be a fluid interface where the OS builds tools for you based on your context. If Disco is the proof-of-concept, then Aluminium OS might be the production version where this technology truly shines.
How to try it (sorry, ChromeOS users)
But for now, this is very much an early experiment from Google Labs, meaning it’s not ready for primetime. Google is opening a waitlist starting today, but there is a catch: it is currently available for macOS only.
As is often the case with these early developer-focused experiments, Windows and ChromeOS users are left waiting on the sidelines for now. But if this experiment works, we could be looking at the future of how Chrome handles complex tasks. You can sign up for the waitlist at labs.google/disco.
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