Google’s working on a mysterious new Chrome tool called ‘Indigo’

Google’s Chrome browser is already packed with numerous tools, but it could get a new one soon. The tech giant is currently testing a feature called “Indigo.” This tool is designed to detect images on a website and replace them with new images.

Spotted by SammyGuru, Indigo is an AI-powered feature that’s currently in development. The tool appears in a chip located in Chrome’s omnibox. Clicking on the chip brings up a box with the words “Generated by Google” next to an image. If you click on the down arrow, it will present three options: Regenerate, Replace original photo, and Delete original photo.

According to the outlet, these options don’t work yet, as the AI-generation function has been disabled. However, if it were enabled, a newly generated image would be placed over the original image on the website you’re viewing. No changes are made to the website, so the original image remains intact, and refreshing the page brings everything back to its original state.

It’s unclear what goal Google aims to achieve with a feature like this. We could imagine an image-hiding tool like Indigo coming in handy if a website happens to contain a triggering image. However, it would probably make more sense for this kind of feature to activate automatically, rather than manually.