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Google’s own Nano model will become the default and that developers will standardize on it in an effort to make the non-deterministic responses of an AI model more predictable. That tendency, he argues, will create pressure for Apple and Mozilla to license Nano, for the sake of a common user experience.

Perhaps more significantly, Archibald notes that using the Prompt API requires agreeing to Google’s Generative AI Prohibited Uses Policy, which prohibits activities that are not necessarily illegal, like generating “disturbing” content.

“This seems like a bad direction for an API on the web platform, and sets a worrying precedent for more APIs that have [browser]-specific rules around usage,” he said.

Finally, Archibald argues that Google misrepresented demand for the API by cherry-picking a few social media posts and calling that a groundswell of developer support.

“The intent to ship on blink-dev states web developers as ‘Strongly positive,’ and links to the explainer for evidence,” he wrote. “The evidence provided there does not seem to fit the claim.”