If you’ve experienced alarming pop-up windows claiming your device is infected with a virus, you’re not alone. Fake virus alerts and tech support scams are rampant, prompting Google to enhance its defenses against them with AI that operates directly on user devices. Google announced the implementation of Gemini Nano, a lightweight version of its Gemini AI model, to detect dubious websites and pop-ups in real-time. This feature is being introduced to users with Enhanced Protection on Chrome for desktop, and notably, it does not depend on cloud processing; everything occurs on your local machine.
According to Google, Gemini Nano serves as a large language model (LLM) that offers Enhanced Protection users an extra layer of defense against online scams. This on-device approach allows for immediate evaluation of potentially harmful websites, providing defense against new scams that might not have been previously identified. The LLM’s ability to analyze the complex nature of websites ensures that Google can quickly adapt to evolving scam tactics. Moreover, Google’s efforts extend to Android devices, where AI-driven scam protection will introduce smarter alerts within Chrome.
If a suspicious website sends a questionable push notification, Google will issue a warning, allowing users to unsubscribe or choose to view the content if they believe it to be safe. The system ensures that all notifications are encrypted, keeping sensitive information private, as the model was trained on synthetic data to avoid compromising real messages. As scammers increasingly utilize AI to create convincing fake content, online fraud remains a critical issue. Google’s enhancements make it more challenging for scammers to succeed, offering a glimmer of hope in the ongoing battle against fraudulent tactics.
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