Google Chrome Is Silently Downloading a 4GB Gemini Nano AI Model to User Devices Without Consent

Google Chrome has been quietly downloading around 4GB of Gemini Nano AI model weights to user devices without their consent, and it automatically re-downloads the files if they are deleted. This behavior has been confirmed on Windows 11, Apple Silicon, and Ubuntu systems, with user reports indicating it has been happening for about a year. The files are stored in a folder named OptGuideOnDeviceModel.