Local AI capabilities are no longer just a nice-to-have feature within the browser of your choice, typically Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Opera. They can also become a significant download on your PC, and this is where Microsoft’s new move comes in, as Redmond plans to put a stop to it. From now on, Windows 11 allows for the blocking of automatic local AI model downloads used by browsers like Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome through a Registry policy. This includes models around 4GB, such as the one linked to Gemini Nano. This change immediately curtails the impact on storage space and the capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs) for major industry players.
The issue came to light with Chrome after several users detected the download of a local AI model within the browser. Naturally, questions arose, and the reality of the situation, which has not pleased many, or at least, almost no one, became apparent.
Microsoft Cements the Brakes on Browser’s Local AI Due to Unsanctioned Resource Usage
To provide context, users discovered that the identified file is “weights.bin,” associated with Gemini Nano, and it’s approximately 4GB in size. Google, finding itself in a negative light within the community, defended the model, stating it is neither spyware nor bloatware. They claim it serves security functions like scam detection and developer APIs, without sending user data to the cloud.
The problem lies in how this is managed. While it sounds good, nothing is truly free, and certainly not always well-intentioned. According to Microsoft’s explanation and its blocking mechanism, Chrome could re-download the model even if the user manually deleted it. This is precisely where the most interesting aspect emerges for those who do not want their browser deciding independently which AI model occupies their hard drive space or consumes bandwidth.
Microsoft has documented a policy called “GenAILocalFoundationalModelSettings.” In Edge, this policy controls whether the browser downloads the GenAI foundational model and uses it for local inference. If configured as “Allowed” (0), the model is downloaded and used locally automatically. If configured as “Disallowed” (1), the model is not downloaded, and if it was already installed, it is removed.
How to Enable or Disable Local AI in Browsers
It’s quite simple, and therefore, we will provide the steps in an ordered manner as described by Microsoft for Regedit:
- Navigate to this path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge
- Create a new 32-bit DWORD value and give it this exact name: GenAILocalFoundationalModelSettings
- Assign it the value: 1
- Accept and close the Registry Editor.
- With this, Edge should not download the GenAI foundational model locally. If it was already downloaded, the policy also allows for its removal.
- Steps to block it in Chrome:
- Open the Windows Registry Editor and navigate to this path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome
- Create a new 32-bit DWORD value and give it this exact name: GenAILocalFoundationalModelSettings
- Assign it the value: 1
- Accept and close the Registry Editor.
The change is the same: it blocks the download of the local AI model in the browser. With this, neither Chrome nor Edge will download the GenAI foundational model. Furthermore, if the model was already downloaded on the computer, the policy also allows for its deletion. Microsoft indicates that this policy is supported in Edge starting from version 132 on Windows and macOS, from version 147 on Android, and is not supported on iOS.
It also supports dynamic updates, meaning changes can be applied without restarting the browser. With this, you will have completely removed this local AI from any of the aforementioned browsers, at least according to Microsoft. For Opera and Firefox, it should be similar, but within their respective folders.
