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Chrome silently downloads a 4GB AI model. Here's how to remove it

PCWorld

PCWorld discovered that Google Chrome silently downloads a 4GB AI model called Gemini Nano to users' computers without explicit consent. This AI model provides local features like text summarization and scam warnings, but consumes significant storage space on devices. Users can permanently remove the file by disabling "On-device AI" in Chrome's system settings. Detailed instructions are provided below. Google's Chrome browser is already a notorious storage hog, but now comes word that it's crowding our PC drives in a new way: with a local AI model. That model, spotted by That Privacy Guy, gets silently downloaded to your PC or Mac upon installing Chrome, and it gobbles up a whopping 4GB of storage space. Spoiler alert: Yes, you can remove the file, and I'm going to show you how.


Chrome downloads a 4GB AI file without user consent, researcher alleges

Engadget

If you've paid any attention to Google lately, you know that it wants us using its AI tools. Computer scientist Alexander Hanff published the details earlier this week on his website The Privacy Guy and goes into extreme detail on why this isn't a good look for Google. I just verified what he said about the file, named weights.bin Indeed, it's a 4+ GB file right where he said it would be. Hanff correctly notes that at no point does Chrome prompt users to ask if they'd like to install the Gemini Nano weights, which Chrome users for AI-powered features like help me write and on-device scam detection.


'Your craft is obsolete': WiseTech staff in limbo as AI touted as better than humans

The Guardian

WiseTech's headquarters in Sydney, where staff fear many jobs will be lost to AI. WiseTech's headquarters in Sydney, where staff fear many jobs will be lost to AI. 'Your craft is obsolete': WiseTech staff in limbo as AI touted as better than humans Staff at WiseTech have been waiting almost three months to be told if they are among the 2,000 people the logistics software company is to cut due to advances in AI, with workers criticising the wait as stressful and "ridiculous". The comments come as its founder on Tuesday told investors an AI agent could learn a human's job in just 15 minutes, according to the Australian Financial Review. The Australian Stock Exchange-listed company announced in late February that it would lay off almost 30% of its workforce across 40 countries, with 2,000 of the 7,000 jobs set to go over the next 18 months. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email Some areas would be hit harder than others, with product and development and customer service teams expected to be reduced by up to 50%, the chief executive, Zubin Appoo, told an investor briefing in February. "The era of manually writing code as the core act of engineering is over," Appoo said.


A Library Dedicated Solely to the Epstein Files Is Opening in New York

WIRED

The Institute for Primary Facts has compiled more than 3.5 million pages of the Epstein files for public display at the newly opened Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room. It's an early 2016 email thread between Jeffrey Epstein and a woman whose name is redacted by the Department of Justice . In the thread, Epstein asks the unidentified woman for a "naughty selfie" and later sends her a camera. In late February, he replies with a different ask: "Do you have any friends that might want to work for me?...I will give you money if you find someone willing to travel, 22-25, educated. The exchange carries extra resonance when you consider that Epstein is accused of sex trafficking minors, with the Department of Justice estimating that he had more than 1,200 potential victims.


Anker's 240W USB-C cables are 5 each now. Unlock ultra-fast charging

PCWorld

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Anker's 240W USB-C cables are $5 each now. Anker's 240W USB-C cable 2-pack is just $10 at Amazon--a huge speed upgrade over basic cables for phones and power-hungry laptops. If your phone still takes more than an hour to charge from zero to full, you deserve a cable upgrade. Anker is selling a 2-pack of ultra-fast USB-C charging cables for just $10 right now at Amazon, and once you experience ultra-fast charging for your phone, you'll never go back. These cables are rated for 240 watts of power, which is significantly faster than the 10 to 18 watts of older, basic charging cables--the kind you're probably using if you're still hanging onto USB cables from years ago.


Why is my Wi-Fi still slow after upgrading my internet plan?

PCWorld

Compare MSI Roamii BE Pro vs BE Lite mesh systems and Wi-Fi 7 adapters to choose the right upgrade solution for your home computing setup. Why is my Wi-Fi still slow after upgrading my internet plan? Your router is likely the bottleneck, not your internet plan. If your wired speeds are faster than your Wi-Fi, or performance drops in certain rooms, the issue is almost certainly your router hardware - and upgrading it will make a bigger difference than paying for a faster plan. A faster internet plan doesn't always translate to faster real-world Wi-Fi - your router may be limiting the speeds your devices receive.


Color doesn't exist--at least not how you think

Popular Science

Color doesn't exist--at least not how you think That's why it's impossible to describe the color red. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Our eyes know the color purple when we see it, but we'd find it really hard to describe it to someone who's never seen it. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Red means Red means Red means The color conjures up a whole range of emotions and associations.


Russia ignores Ukraine's unilateral ceasefire and attacks kindergarten

BBC News

Russia ignores Ukraine's unilateral ceasefire and attacks kindergarten Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of breaching a unilateral ceasefire announced by Ukraine by launching a wave of drone attacks on several cities. The Ukrainian president said Russia had carried out active hostilities and terrorist shelling, targeting the front line as well as firing dozens of drones and missiles at civilian areas. In the Sumy border region, one woman was killed when a kindergarten was hit on Wednesday morning, local authorities said. No children were present at the time. Earlier this week the two warring sides had announced rival unilateral ceasefires - with no agreement on their terms, length or monitoring.


Best Webcams (2026): My Honest Take After Testing the Best

WIRED

I tested all the major webcams across the price spectrum in attempts to find the very best. Here's what I learned.


Boycotts Hurt Tesla's Sales. Now, Activists Are Taking On Elon Musk's SpaceX IPO

WIRED

Now, Activists Are Taking On Elon Musk's SpaceX IPO Activists, a leading labor union, and a big retirement fund are asking challenging questions about what's expected to be the largest-ever stock market debut. Elon Musk's SpaceX is facing protests against its expected initial public offering from some of the same advocacy groups that helped erase $600 billion from Tesla's market cap early last year. SpaceX's IPO is poised to be the largest ever, raising tens of billions of dollars for the Musk-founded company and valuing it above $2 trillion. If all goes as intended come June, the conglomerate that now owns a rocket manufacturer, a social media app, and an AI chatbot developer will instantly rank among the world's top 10 largest publicly-traded companies. On Wednesday, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, wrote to the US Securities and Exchange Commission urging it to scrutinize SpaceX's IPO preparations.