<![CDATA[BREAKING: [Why bother asking?] Google may have downloaded a 4GB AI model to your system without asking or permission]]>BREAKING: [Why bother asking?] Google may have downloaded a 4GB AI model to your system without asking or permission

Ah, the famous Google arrogance is back in full swing! Reports are pouring in that Google has silently (why bother asking or informing?) been downloading a 4GB local AI model to users as part of a Chrome browser update. While in theory local AI is better than spy-heavy cloud AI (Google warns that their conventional AI features send data to Google AND may be viewed by [oh-so-trustworthy?] humans), 4GB matters to a lot of people, especially on laptops with smallish SSDs. A typical Chromebook for example may only have 64GB total and a big chunk of that used by the OS! 128GB laptops are also common.

It appears that not everybody has received this massive AI model file. It may only be downloaded when certain AI features are enabled. There are various ways to check for this and to disable this feature, mostly involving Chrome Settings->System and various Chrome internal settings that most users don't ever play with. One of my Linux systems doesn't seem to have this at all, while a browser on a new Mac Neo did, and I apparently gained about 4GB of additional free space as soon as I turned off the AI features that I never knew were turned on (since I never touch any of them -- and that's my recommendation to you as well).

We're back to the dark days of Google philosophy. Don't bother asking, don't bother informing. Assume that 4GB doesn't matter to anybody.

You need a time machine to find "Don't be evil" with Google anymore.

A horrible shame.

L

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/topic/892d62f0-fe6e-4762-a2f3-358ea7996127/breaking-why-bother-asking-google-may-have-downloaded-a-4gb-ai-model-to-your-system-without-asking-or-permissionRSS for NodeFri, 15 May 2026 04:12:10 GMTTue, 05 May 2026 19:44:28 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to BREAKING: [Why bother asking?] Google may have downloaded a 4GB AI model to your system without asking or permission on Tue, 05 May 2026 20:45:52 GMT]]>@lauren @bflipp

I am not a techie and i do a lot of shit myself. Bought my own domain, set up my own email. Use privacy forward apps. If i have to watch a video on how to set shit up I will. I guess it it boils down to if people give a shit. So many people think the cow is out of the barn and they don't care anymore... \O/

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://goingdark.social/ap/users/115884007788947367/statuses/116523922367847410https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://goingdark.social/ap/users/115884007788947367/statuses/116523922367847410Tue, 05 May 2026 20:45:52 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to BREAKING: [Why bother asking?] Google may have downloaded a 4GB AI model to your system without asking or permission on Tue, 05 May 2026 20:37:47 GMT]]>@bflipp @lor Keeping mind it was techies who coined the term LUSERS. Yep.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.laurenweinstein.org/users/lauren/statuses/116523890606204539https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.laurenweinstein.org/users/lauren/statuses/116523890606204539Tue, 05 May 2026 20:37:47 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to BREAKING: [Why bother asking?] Google may have downloaded a 4GB AI model to your system without asking or permission on Tue, 05 May 2026 20:27:32 GMT]]>@lauren @lor

I couldn't disagree with this sentiment more.

Capitulating to monopoly at this time in particular is a mistake.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://vmst.io/users/bflipp/statuses/116523850289790877https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://vmst.io/users/bflipp/statuses/116523850289790877Tue, 05 May 2026 20:27:32 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to BREAKING: [Why bother asking?] Google may have downloaded a 4GB AI model to your system without asking or permission on Tue, 05 May 2026 20:23:44 GMT]]>@lor @bflipp Switching browsers is a pain in the ass for most busy nontechies. Running from the problem doesn't solve anything fundamentally.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.laurenweinstein.org/users/lauren/statuses/116523835351712536https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.laurenweinstein.org/users/lauren/statuses/116523835351712536Tue, 05 May 2026 20:23:44 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to BREAKING: [Why bother asking?] Google may have downloaded a 4GB AI model to your system without asking or permission on Tue, 05 May 2026 20:22:15 GMT]]>@bflipp @lauren

I tell my friends that are supposedly smart and they are all shrugs. Drives me crayzee.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://goingdark.social/ap/users/115884007788947367/statuses/116523829550448071https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://goingdark.social/ap/users/115884007788947367/statuses/116523829550448071Tue, 05 May 2026 20:22:15 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to BREAKING: [Why bother asking?] Google may have downloaded a 4GB AI model to your system without asking or permission on Tue, 05 May 2026 19:52:55 GMT]]>@lauren

Still using Chrome or Chrome based browser in 2026 is nuts I don't care how bad or compromised Firefox is.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://vmst.io/users/bflipp/statuses/116523714200300588https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://vmst.io/users/bflipp/statuses/116523714200300588Tue, 05 May 2026 19:52:55 GMT