"Hanff discovered a four-gigabyte file named "weights.bin," in a directory called "OptGuideOnDeviceModel." The file contains weights - the learned numerical parameters of an AI model that teach it how to weigh the importance of various data points - of Google's Gemini Nano, which is designed to live on users' devices, not the cloud."
""Chrome did not ask," Hanff wrote. "Chrome does not surface it. If the user deletes it, Chrome re-downloads it." Plenty of questions remain over the implications of the download or how it affects the performance of users' devices beyond taking up a hefty amount of storage."
"Hanff argued that given the browser's billions of users, deploying the AI model could release "between six thousand and sixty thousand tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions, depending on how many devices receive the push." Netizens, who have long grown wary of having AI pushed on them without their consent, were appalled."
""AI/Climate aside, my real issue is that Google installs anything without my consent no matter the size," one Reddit user wrote. "Thankfully I don't use Chrome, it's Firefox for me." Others argued that Google was likely auto-installing the model to artificially inflate its own AI user stats."
Chrome reportedly installs a large AI model file named weights.bin from a directory labeled OptGuideOnDeviceModel. The file contains learned parameters for Google’s Gemini Nano, intended to run on devices rather than in the cloud. A security researcher found the 4GB file and reported that Chrome does not ask permission, does not surface the download to users, and re-downloads the file if it is deleted. The impact on device performance and storage is uncertain, but the lack of transparency raises concerns. The potential emissions from deploying the model at scale were estimated, and users expressed backlash over consent and possible motives such as inflating AI-related metrics.
Read at Futurism
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