Shift AI is a suite of native intelligence features built directly into Shift Browser to help you work faster. It includes Shift AI (Chat) for context-aware assistance and the Intelligent Omnibox for smarter search suggestions. These tools adapt to your workflow so you can summarize pages and find answers without switching tabs.

**AI has been released to a Beta group and may not yet be available to all Shift users. 
 

What's the difference between AI Chat and the Intelligent Omnibox?

These two features work together to provide browser-wide intelligence. AI Chat is your conversational assistant. You can use it to ask questions or get help with the specific website you're viewing.

The Intelligent Omnibox is the brain inside your search bar. It ranks your most-used sites and suggestions. If it senses you're asking a question, it'll automatically offer to start an AI Chat.

When should I use AI Chat vs Search?

You can choose the best tool for your task based on what you need to find.

Use AI Chat when you want:

• An explanation, summary, or comparison.
• Help based on the page you're looking at.
• To compare information across multiple open tabs.

Use Search when you want:

• To navigate directly to a website.
• Quick lookup results from your search engine.
• To keep browsing the web normally.

How to open Shift AI Chat

You can open your assistant in three different ways:

1. Click the AI icon located to the left of the Omnibox.
2. Type a question in the Omnibox and select the AI option.
3. Use the keyboard shortcut. On Mac, use Cmd + . and on Windows, use Ctrl + . If you forget, you can hover over the AI icon to reveal the keyboard shortcut. 

Why does AI Chat sometimes open full-screen and sometimes in a side panel?

It depends on what you’re doing:

• On a New Tab, AI Chat opens full-screen so you can focus.
• On a website, it opens as a side panel so you can keep the page visible while you ask questions.

You can expand the side panel to full-screen by clicking the 'Expand to full screen' option. 

Understanding context chips & selections

Shift AI is context-aware, which means it understands what you're looking at. Context chips are the labels in the chat box that tell the AI what info to use. These can include your current site, specific text you've highlighted, or even other tabs you've @ mentioned.

If you highlight text on a page while the chat is open, Shift adds it as a chip automatically. This saves you from copying and pasting. You can also type @ to choose other open tabs to include in your query.

To remove context, just click the ‘X’ on the chip. 

Understanding “Thinking” vs “Searching web” in AI Chat

• Thinking… means AI Chat is generating an answer based on your message and any context you’ve provided.
• Searching web… means it’s using web search to gather sources—so you may see citations in the response.

How does the Intelligent Omnibox decide what shows first?

It uses two main signals:

1. Top Suggestion: If Shift is confident a specific site/suggestion is the best match, it goes first.
2. Intent: If your input looks like a question, Shift surfaces AI, or,  if it looks like navigation, Shift prioritizes Search and sites.

What is the “Ask AI [Tab]” shortcut?

When you’re searching in the omnibox, you’ll see an Ask AI shortcut appear at the far right of the search bar. Pressing Tab to open AI Chat instantly.

Why does “Ask AI” sometimes shimmer?

The shimmer is a visual hint: Shift thinks you’re asking a question (AI intent). No shimmer usually means it looks more like navigation (No AI intent).
 

Managing Shift Browser AI 

You're always in control of your privacy and tools. You can toggle these features on or off at any time.

1. Click the gear icon to open Quick Settings.
2. Find the Shift AI section.
3. Toggle AI Chat or Intelligent Omnibox on or off.

If you turn off the Omnibox features, you'll still get standard search suggestions. If the AI icon is missing from your browser, check these settings first to make sure it's enabled.

Does Shift AI sync across windows?

Some AI Chat behaviors are session-based. In general, AI Chat sessions do not carry across separate Shift windows.
 

Troubleshooting Shift AI

If the AI isn't responding, check your internet connection first. If the AI "missed" the context of your page, check that the site chip is attached before you send your message. You can also check out our knowledge article on Troubleshooting Shift AI for more information and steps. 

If you still need a hand, you can submit a request for Shift Support.
 

Have a question that wasn't answered above? Click to access our request form and get in touch with our Support team.