Intent to Experiment: User Agent Image Replacement API

[Chromestatus]

Contact emails

jbr...@chromium.org

Explainer

https://github.com/explainers-by-googlers/ua-image-replacement

Specification

https://github.com/explainers-by-googlers/ua-image-replacement

Summary

Modern browsers can provide capabilities to augment the browsing experience by modifying media in the page on behalf of the user. The advent of generative AI makes it more likely that browsers will add such features. Sometimes, the replacement content added at the user request might not match other content and functionality in the page, which could confuse the user. Even if this cannot be completely avoided, if authors can observe when replacement happens they can adjust the document to mitigate confusion (e.g., by hiding or adjusting other content). For example, a user browsing an e-commerce site with a generic product image (e.g., a model wearing a jacket) might wish to imagine themselves wearing the item. The user agent uses generative AI technology to produce that image and present it in place of the model image. The page improves the user experience by removing text referring to the model's dimensions and the garment size depicted, as it may not be correct in the replacement image.

Blink component

Blink>Image

Web Feature ID

Missing feature

TAG review

none as yet (API shape is trivial, API owner discretion needed on whether this requires review)

TAG review status

Pending

Goals for experimentation

We're looking on hearing from sites which are affected by Chrome features allow users to generate and emplace edited images in web pages, about whether this API allows them the information required to optimize the user experience as these features are used. If additional or different API is required to adapt appropriately, we'd like to know that sooner rather than later, especially if the changes required are not purely additive.

Origin Trial documentation link

https://github.com/explainers-by-googlers/ua-image-replacement

Risks

Interoperability and Compatibility

No information provided

Gecko: No signal

WebKit: No signal

Web developers: No signals

Other signals:

WebView application risks

Does this intent deprecate or change behavior of existing APIs, such that it has potentially high risk for Android WebView-based applications?

No information provided

Ongoing technical constraints

None

Debuggability

No information provided

Will this feature be supported on all six Blink platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS, Android, and Android WebView)?

No

Is this feature fully tested by web-platform-tests?

No

Flag name on about://flags

No information provided

Finch feature name

No information provided

Non-finch justification

No information provided

Requires code in //chrome?

True

Tracking bug

https://issues.chromium.org/issues/544822216

Launch bug

https://launch.corp.google.com/4452457

Estimated milestones

Origin trial desktop first	152
Origin trial desktop last	157

Link to entry on the Chrome Platform Status

https://chromestatus.com/feature/5076374013476864?gate=5435940823760896

This intent message was generated by Chrome Platform Status.