There are a growing number of AI-based tools that can answer questions (sometimes even accurately), generate text, images, and videos, or help you revise something you've already written or created.

But it looks like Google is planning to release a new tool that takes the idea of a personal assistant even further. The company's upcoming Jarvis tool basically takes control of your web browser to complete tasks on your behalf to save you time when doing things like buying products or booking airplane tickets.

Google hasn't officially confirmed that Jarvis is even a thing yet. But last month The Information reported that Google was building Jarvis using a next-gen version of Google's Gemini AI platform, and that people familiar with the project said it would be able to take screenshots of websites, analyze their contents, and do things like fill out forms or click on buttons.

This week The Information had a brief follow-up noting that "Google accidentally publicized an internal preview" of Jarvis by briefly making a Jarvis browser extension available for download from the Chrome Web Store. The listing has been removed, but it was described as "a helpful companion that surfs the web with you" to automate certain tasks.

The Information says Google is expected to officially introduce Jarvis in December.

I'll be curious to see what kind of safeguards Google is offering, if any. As someone who's been known to spend hours comparing prices, times, and travel lengths before booking tickets, I'm not mad at the idea of a tool that would automate the process. But I'm not sure how much I'd trust an AI utility to get things right.