Google could be planning to show off an upcoming Chrome feature that integrates Assistant into the browser at I/O 2019.
A Chromium code change discovered by 9to5Google — which Google took down shortly after — includes a demonstration of Assistant recommending and automatically performing an action in Chrome for Android.
Further, the code wasn’t coy about its purpose, with some strings labelled ‘triggerGoogleIOStuff.’
However, the content of the code change wasn’t actually functional. Instead, it was designed to act as a demo and runs like a visual mock-up of the planned feature.
Based on the code, 9to5Google suggested the mock-up we’ll see at I/O 2019 will have the Assistant display a card in Chrome to offer to book a rental car for an upcoming trip to Chicago.
The details around when and why the Assistant card will appear aren’t precise, but it could be related to specific websites. In the case of the demo, visiting a car rental website could trigger the card.
If you click the card, Assistant will ‘autofill’ most of the booking details, like the time, date, pickup and return details based on your flight info. There’s also an option to have the Assistant adjust your booking if your flight changes.
The code refers to the feature as ‘Autofill Assistant. When it launches, it won’t be exclusive to car rentals and should work with other things, like purchasing movie tickets. Based on the code, most use cases involve purchases of some kind.
Unfortunately, Google has taken down the code now, so if you wanted to investigate it for yourself, you’re out of luck. We’ll just have to wait until Google I/O to learn more about the feature.
Source: 9to5Google
