First look: Google's Chrome division is testing a new browser that reimagines how people interact with the internet. The project, called Disco, expands the traditional concept of browser tabs into a framework for building small, personalized apps in response to user prompts. Developed as an experiment within Google Labs, Disco blends browsing with generative AI through a feature the company calls GenTabs.
Disco began as a hackathon project at Google and has since evolved into a prototype exploring what browsing might look like if each query functioned as an interactive workspace rather than just a list of links. Parisa Tabriz, who leads the Chrome team, told The Verge that the project is not intended to replace or compete with Chrome, but to test how people might interact with a more adaptive, task-driven browser.
"I don't think of Disco as a general-purpose browser," Tabriz said, explaining that its primary purpose goes beyond opening online tabs to creating a personalized, curated app.
At the core of Disco is GenTabs, short for "generated tabs." Unlike traditional tabs, which display static web content, GenTabs are interfaces constructed by Google's Gemini AI models. Gemini 3 introduced the ability to create interactive elements such as buttons, maps, and sliders in real time.
Disco leverages this capability as the foundation of the browsing experience: when a user enters a prompt, the browser not only opens relevant web pages but also constructs a small web app designed around that specific task.
In a demonstration observed by The Verge, Manini Roy, who runs an innovation lab within the Chrome organization, showcased how the interface works. In Disco's sidebar, she launched what Google calls a "project" – essentially a self-contained workspace that combines a chat interface with a set of traditional web tabs.
When she typed a request to plan a trip to Japan, the system opened a series of tabs with relevant travel resources and then offered to create a custom planning tool. Within a minute, Gemini assembled a browser-based app displaying a map of Japan annotated with attractions, a simple itinerary builder, and links to all the data sources referenced across the open tabs. As Roy added new sites during her research, the GenTab automatically updated to reflect the latest information.
According to Roy, the goal is to encourage users not just to consume AI-generated output but to shape it collaboratively through their own exploration. Early feedback suggests this approach leads users to spend more time engaging with actual websites rather than staying confined to a chatbot interface – a limitation that has hampered the usefulness of many recent AI browsers.
In another demonstration, Roy asked how ankles work. Instead of returning a text answer, Disco opened several medical resources while generating a rough, interactive 3D model of a human foot.
For a cross-country move scenario, the AI created a workspace that included packing tips, a weight calculator, and a cost-comparison table of moving companies. Each GenTab also supports iterative refinement via additional prompts or manual edits.
Still, the experiment raises questions about what GenTabs actually are. The team has not yet decided whether generated tabs should persist as full web apps with shareable URLs or disappear when a project closes. Users have requested both permanent and temporary options, as well as the ability to export GenTab data into existing productivity platforms, including Google Workspace tools such as Docs and Sheets.
Both Tabriz and Roy acknowledge that Disco's future is uncertain. It remains an experiment within Google Labs rather than a product slated for release. However, the Chrome team sees it as a test of how browsers and AI systems might merge while keeping users connected to the open web.
Ultimately, Disco could signal a subtle yet significant shift from static content consumption to interactive creation. For now, it remains a Google Labs experiment – a test bed for what might come next in Chrome and AI-driven web interaction.
Google's latest experimental browser turns tabs into custom mini-apps
