Browsers Push Large Models Without Consent

Browsers (or bundled browser agents) can and do place multi‑gigabyte on‑device AI models onto users' machines without prompting, hiding the presence and persistence of those models from ordinary users and re‑installing them when related software runs. That practice creates hidden storage, privacy, security, and energy costs — and it bypasses conventional consent and update controls. — This reframes debates about on‑device AI from abstract capability concerns to concrete governance problems: who may seed users' devices, who pays the energy bill, and what counts as informed consent for software that ships models.