According to PCWorld, Google has unveiled its favorite Chrome browser extensions for 2025. The list is not ranked but is explicitly dominated by AI-powered tools. It’s divided into three main categories: AI companions, work and learning, and creativity and shopping. Specific winners include Monica, Sider, and HARPA AI for AI tasks, Fireflies.ai and Bluedot for meetings, and Adobe’s web-based Photoshop and Phia for creativity and shopping. Google’s selections highlight a clear trend toward integrating AI directly into the browsing experience for everyday tasks.
Google’s AI Pivot
Here’s the thing: this list isn’t just a casual recommendation. It’s a statement. Google is basically using its platform to signal what it thinks the future of browsing looks like, and that future is conversational, automated, and AI-assisted. By heavily promoting extensions like Monica and Sider—which summarize pages and write text—Google is acknowledging that raw information retrieval isn’t enough anymore. Users want synthesis and creation, right there in the tab. And tools like HARPA AI, which automates tasks like price monitoring, show a push toward making the browser not just a viewer, but an active agent. It feels like Google is gently nudging its entire ecosystem in this direction, extensions first.
The Practical Counterpoint
But I think PCWorld’s own aside is crucial. They note their own essential extensions list “doesn’t lean as hard on AI.” That’s a really important distinction. Google’s list is visionary, showing where things are going. A practical, daily-driver list? That probably still includes classic ad-blockers, password managers, and tab organizers. It highlights a potential gap. Are these AI tools daily essentials yet, or are they still in the “cool but sometimes gimmicky” phase for most people? The fact that a tool like Quillbot, which is more of a refined writing aid, persists suggests that pure, raw AI generation still needs a human-in-the-loop for polish.
Winners and The Browser Wars
So who wins here? Obviously, the named extensions get a massive credibility boost. But the bigger winner might be the Chrome Web Store itself. In an era where browser competition is fierce—with privacy-focused options like Brave and established rivals like Edge—having a vibrant, AI-forward extension ecosystem is a key lock-in strategy. It gives users a reason to stay. The losers? Maybe simpler, single-purpose extensions that AI can now replicate. Why have a separate grammar checker if your AI companion does it? This list also subtly promotes Google’s own AI vision by endorsing tools that complement, rather than compete with, its own Gemini integrations. It’s a clever way to shape the market without having to build every single feature in-house.
