“Help me write” is an experimental generative AI tool for Chrome powered by Gemini that seeks to assist users in writing or refining text based on website content. It has begun rolling out to the public. Users in the United States who speak English and use Chrome may now test out the new writing helper on Windows and Mac PCs following Tuesday’s stable update to Chrome M122.
“Help Me Write” is mostly concerned with offering writing prompts for shorter pieces of material, including digital surveys as well as reviews, product information inquiries, or online product descriptions. To provide you with appropriate ideas, the tool can “understand the context of the webpage you’re on,” according to Google. This means that it may do things like highlight important characteristics listed on the product page for products you’re reviewing, among other things.
The experimental AI tool, which offers ideas for filling out online forms, messages, reviews, and more, is accessible in English for Chrome users in the US. If you need to deliver boring communications to businesses, “Help Me Write” can do it for you.
Here, we see a message requesting an early hotel check-in in an example snapshot of Google Chrome’s “help me write” function. This tool may take a brief, direct communication and turn it into a longer, more formal request, as seen in one use scenario.
The “Help Me Write” function has changed its appearance since it was introduced for Gmail at Google’s I/O event in May. Now, it appears as a floating app window next to the text fields on the homepage, where users may choose between several choices for length and tone. Last year, Microsoft introduced features to Edge and Bing search, and this year’s Chrome update is somewhat similar.
To use the functionality, US users must first enable Chrome’s Experimental AI. To do this, go to the Experimental AI page in Chrome’s Settings, which can be located in the three-dot menu on the desktop. Choose “Help me write” under “Try out experimental AI features,” and then hit “relaunch.” The Chrome web browser then allows users to use writing assistance by simply going to a webpage and right-clicking on an empty text field.
A caution on the Google support page warns users against using the tool on websites that collect sensitive information or that ask for personal details such as phone numbers, addresses, social security numbers, or credit card numbers. However, Google assures that “Chrome will not use it for model training purposes” if you do submit such information.
The “Help me write” function isn’t precisely a must-have feature that has driven the use of Edge plus Copilot over the past year, and I don’t think most users will find it particularly useful. While Google’s use cases make sense when the function produces precise language, the time saved from not having to write the prompts and modify the output to match your needs negates any potential time-saving.