If you've ever had one of those scary pop-up windows claiming your phone or computer has a virus, you're definitely not alone. Fake virus alerts and tech support scams are still everywhere – and now Google is stepping things up to fight them using AI that runs directly on your device.
The company says it is using Gemini Nano, a lightweight version of its Gemini AI model, to help spot scammy websites and pop-ups in real-time. This protection is rolling out to users with Enhanced Protection in Chrome on desktop and the best part is that it doesn't rely on cloud processing – it happens on your machine.
We're now using Gemini Nano, our on-device large language model (LLM) on desktop, to provide Enhanced Protection users with an additional layer of defense against online scams. The on-device approach provides instant insight on risky websites and allows us to offer protection, even against scams that haven't been seen before. Gemini Nano's LLM is perfect for this use because of its ability to distill the varied, complex nature of websites, helping us adapt to new scam tactics more quickly.
– Google, May 2025
But Google isn't stopping with desktop. It also plans to roll out this AI-powered scam protection to Android devices – starting with smarter alerts in Chrome. If a suspicious website sends a sketchy push notification, Google will flag it, give you the option to unsubscribe or let you view it anyway if you think it is safe.
Google is launching new AI-powered warnings for Chrome on Android. | Image credit – Google
These notifications are end-to-end encrypted and the analysis is done completely on your device. Google doesn't get to see the content. Since notifications can be sensitive, Google trained its model using synthetic data generated by Gemini, rather than scraping real messages.
Scammers are now using AI to crank out tons of fake, realistic-looking content, making it way easier for them to trick people and steal personal info or money. The barrier to entry for online scams has basically disappeared – and that's a serious problem.
But, let's be real – scammers aren't going to stop anytime soon. They are constantly switching up their tactics. But at least Google is making it harder for them to succeed and that is always a win.
Tsveta, a passionate technology enthusiast and accomplished playwright, combines her love for mobile technologies and writing to explore and reveal the transformative power of tech. From being an early follower of PhoneArena to relying exclusively on her smartphone for photography, she embraces the immense capabilities of compact devices in our daily lives. With a Journalism degree and an explorative spirit, Tsveta not only provides expert insights into the world of gadgets and smartphones but also shares a unique perspective shaped by her diverse interests in travel, culture, and visual storytelling.
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