Google weighs in on Chrome’s weights.bin controversy

• By default, Chrome downloads a multi-gigabyte file called weights.bin on desktop computers.
• This file is the Gemini Nano model that powers on-device AI features.
• Google says it’s rolling out an option to easily delete weights.bin from Chrome settings.

Earlier today, we wrote about Chrome automatically downloading a large, poorly explained file called weights.bin to desktop computers. Gossip is floating around online that the file is some type of virus or spyware, but it’s actually the Gemini Nano model used for on-device AI features in Chrome — still annoying, maybe, but not nefarious. Now, Google’s provided Android Authority with a statement about the file.

“We’ve offered Gemini Nano for Chrome since 2024 as a lightweight, on-device model. It powers important security capabilities like scam detection and developer APIs without sending your data to the cloud,” a Google spokesperson told Android Authority in an email. “While this requires some local space on the desktop to run, the model will automatically uninstall if the device is low on resources. In February, we began rolling out the ability for users to easily turn off and remove the model directly in Chrome settings. Once disabled the model will no longer download or update.”