Google is reorganizing the team behind Project Mariner, its AI agent that navigates the Chrome browser to complete user tasks. Recent months have seen some Google Labs staffers shift to higher-priority projects, sources familiar with the matter told WIRED.
Google has shaken up the team responsible for Project Mariner, a research prototype AI agent designed to autonomously navigate the Chrome browser and perform tasks on behalf of users. According to two people familiar with the matter, several staffers from Google Labs who contributed to the prototype have moved in recent months to other, higher-priority projects within the company. WIRED learned of these changes amid a broader Silicon Valley focus on a new wave of AI coding agents, with Google and other AI labs adjusting their priorities accordingly. The development highlights evolving investments in AI technologies, though specifics on the new projects or the extent of the team changes remain undisclosed. Project Mariner represents Google's exploration into web-browsing agents, building on advancements in models like Google Gemini, amid competition from players such as OpenAI.
