🧠 Smart Research Assistant

An advanced Chrome extension that revolutionizes research workflows using Google Chrome's built-in AI APIs.

🚀 Features

🤖 Advanced AI Capabilities

• 📄 Intelligent Summarization: Extract key insights from any webpage using Chrome's Summarizer API
• 🤔 Research Questions: Generate thoughtful follow-up questions using the Prompt API
• ✨ Content Rewriting: Rephrase summaries in different styles using the Rewriter API
• 🎯 Smart Highlighting: Visually highlight key terms from summaries on the original page

🛠 Professional Research Tools

• 📤 Export Functions: Export research to Markdown format or copy to clipboard
• 📚 Research Library: Save and organize research notes with timestamps
• ⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts: Power user shortcuts (Alt+S, Alt+Q, Alt+H)
• 🔍 Visual Feedback: Professional UI with loading animations and status indicators

🔒 Privacy & Performance

• Local AI Processing: All AI operations run locally on your device
• Zero Data Collection: No user data is collected or transmitted
• Offline Capable: Works without internet once AI models are downloaded
• Cost-Free Operation: No API keys or server costs required

🎯 Built for Google Chrome Built-in AI Challenge 2025

This extension showcases the power of Chrome's built-in AI APIs to create a seamless, privacy-focused research experience that was previously impossible on the web.

Target Category: Most Helpful - Chrome Extension ($14,000)

🛠 Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

1. Chrome Canary or Chrome Dev (required for built-in AI APIs)
2. Chrome Built-in AI Early Preview Program enrollment
3. Enable required flags in chrome://flags/:
   • #prompt-api-for-gemini-nano
   • #summarization-api-for-gemini-nano
   • #rewriter-api-for-gemini-nano (optional)
   • #writer-api-for-gemini-nano (optional)

Installation Steps

1. Download or clone this repository
2. Open Chrome Canary and navigate to chrome://extensions/
3. Enable "Developer mode" in the top right
4. Click "Load unpacked" and select the extension folder
5. The 🧠 icon should appear in your Chrome toolbar

🎮 How to Use

Basic Workflow

1. Navigate to any article or webpage you want to research
2. Click the Smart Research Assistant icon (🧠) in your toolbar
3. Summarize: Click "📄 Summarize" to get AI-generated key insights
4. Explore: Click "🤔 Questions" to generate follow-up research questions
5. Enhance: Click "✨ Rewrite" to get alternative phrasings
6. Save: Click "💾 Save Current Research" to store your findings

Advanced Features

• 🎯 Highlight: Click to highlight key terms from your summary on the webpage
• 📄 Export: Export individual research sessions to Markdown
• 📦 Export All: Export your entire research library
• 📋 Copy: Copy research to clipboard for use in other applications

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Alt + S: Quick summarize current page
• Alt + Q: Generate research questions
• Alt + H: Clear page highlights

🏗 Technical Architecture

┌─────────────────┐    ┌──────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐
│   Content       │    │   Background     │    │   Popup UI      │
│   Script        │    │   Service        │    │                 │
│                 │    │                  │    │                 │
│ • Extract page  │◄──►│ • Message relay  │◄──►│ • User controls │
│   content       │    │ • Error handling │    │ • Display       │
│ • AI processing │    │ • Tab management │    │   results       │
│ • Highlighting  │    │                  │    │ • Export tools  │
│ • Shortcuts     │    │                  │    │ • Note storage  │
└─────────────────┘    └──────────────────┘    └─────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
                    ┌─────────────────────┐
                    │   Chrome Built-in   │
                    │       AI APIs       │
                    │                     │
                    │ • Summarizer API    │
                    │ • Prompt API        │
                    │ • Rewriter API      │
                    │ • Storage API       │
                    └─────────────────────┘

🎨 Chrome AI APIs Used

API	Purpose	Status
Summarizer API	Generate intelligent page summaries	✅ Core Feature
Prompt API	Create contextual research questions	✅ Core Feature
Rewriter API	Rephrase content in different styles	✅ Enhancement
Writer API	Format and enhance research notes	✅ Enhancement
Storage API	Local research note persistence	✅ Core Feature

🔧 Development

File Structure

smart-research-assistant/
├── manifest.json          # Extension configuration (v2.0.0)
├── popup.html             # Main UI interface with enhanced styling
├── popup.js               # UI logic and feature implementation
├── content.js             # AI processing and page interaction
├── background.js          # Message routing and tab management  
├── icons/                 # Extension icons (16px, 48px, 128px)
│   ├── icon16.png
│   ├── icon48.png
│   └── icon128.png
├── LICENSE                # MIT License
└── README.md              # This file

Key Technologies

• Vanilla JavaScript: No external dependencies for maximum performance
• Chrome Extension Manifest V3: Modern extension architecture
• Chrome Built-in AI APIs: Gemini Nano integration
• CSS Grid & Flexbox: Responsive, professional UI design
• Local Storage: Privacy-focused data persistence

🎯 Problem Solved

Before Smart Research Assistant

• ❌ Passive reading without extracting key insights
• ❌ Missing important follow-up questions
• ❌ Losing track of research progress
• ❌ Relying on external AI services (privacy & cost concerns)
• ❌ Fragmented research workflows across multiple tools

After Smart Research Assistant

• ✅ Systematic research workflow with AI-powered insights
• ✅ Intelligent question generation for deeper exploration
• ✅ Visual content highlighting shows what AI found important
• ✅ Complete privacy with local AI processing
• ✅ Seamless integration within existing browsing habits
• ✅ Professional export capabilities for academic/professional use

🏆 Competition Impact

Why this wins "Most Helpful Chrome Extension":

1. Meaningful Workflow Improvement: Transforms how millions research online
2. Scalable Impact: Works for students, professionals, journalists, researchers
3. Innovative Chrome AI Usage: Showcases multiple APIs working together
4. Privacy Leadership: Demonstrates advantages of local AI processing
5. Professional Polish: Production-ready UX and feature completeness

📊 Performance & Privacy

Performance Benefits

• Offline capable once AI models are downloaded
• Zero API costs - no external service dependencies
• Fast processing with local Gemini Nano models
• Minimal memory footprint with efficient JavaScript

Privacy Advantages

• No data collection - everything stays on your device
• No external API calls - complete data sovereignty
• Local AI processing - your research never leaves your computer
• Open source transparency - full code visibility

🤝 Contributing

This project was built for the Google Chrome Built-in AI Challenge 2025. While it's a hackathon submission, we welcome feedback and suggestions!

Potential Enhancements

• Multi-language support using Chrome's Translator API
• Research theme categorization and tagging
• Citation generation and source verification
• Integration with popular note-taking applications
• Advanced export formats (PDF, DOCX, etc.)

📄 License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details.

🌟 Acknowledgments

• Google Chrome Team for pioneering built-in AI APIs
• Chrome Built-in AI Early Preview Program for API access
• Gemini Nano for powering local AI capabilities
• Open Source Community for inspiration and best practices

---

Built for Google Chrome Built-in AI Challenge 2025 🚀

Transforming research workflows with privacy-focused, locally-processed AI.