Google fixed more security bugs in Chrome during June than it had in the previous two years combined, attributing the surge to artificial intelligence tools that automate vulnerability discovery.
The company patched 1,072 security flaws across two versions of Chrome released last month, versions 149 and 150. That figure exceeds the 1,036 bugs fixed across the previous 23 Chrome versions over the prior two years. Google published a chart showing the exponential increase as part of a white paper detailing its use of AI to find and patch flaws faster.
AI tools drive record bug fixes
Google says its AI tools, including its Gemini model, are responsible for the dramatic jump. Doug Turner, director of engineering for Chrome, said large language models have "fundamentally shifted the economics of cybersecurity, transforming vulnerability discovery into an automated, industrial-scale operation."
Turner added: "By applying models like Gemini, we are preemptively fixing vulnerabilities, outpacing our adversaries and making Chrome safer with every update."
Cybersecurity experts had warned that AI-powered systems would find exponentially more bugs, forcing defenders to adopt similar technology. Turner said that prediction is "starting to become true" and is "backed by real data."
Google calls each Chrome version a "milestone." The latest milestones, 149 and 150, were both released in June. For context, Chrome 126 was released in June 2024, showing how quickly the version numbers have climbed as the company accelerates its release cadence.
Microsoft also sees record patch numbers
Microsoft reported a similar trend earlier this month. The company patched a record 570 security flaws in its June "Patch Tuesday" round of scheduled updates. Microsoft cited its own use of AI to explain the jump in bug fixes.
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The two companies' numbers suggest that AI is reshaping how major tech firms approach vulnerability management, turning what was once a manual, reactive process into an automated, proactive one.
Apple shows no similar spike
Apple, however, does not appear to be registering the same exponential increase. According to an independent count, Apple has patched 482 bugs so far in 2026. That pace is roughly on track to equal or surpass last year's total and is roughly equal to the number of bugs Apple fixed in 2015.
TechCrunch reached out to Apple for comment but did not receive a response. The lack of a similar spike at Apple raises questions about whether the company is using AI tools for vulnerability discovery at the same scale as Google and Microsoft.
The economics of cybersecurity shift
The data from Google and Microsoft suggests that AI is fundamentally changing the cost structure of finding and fixing bugs. Where once a single vulnerability might cost $330 to discover through traditional methods, AI-driven tools can now find flaws at a fraction of that cost, sometimes as low as $100 per bug, according to industry estimates.
Turner said the shift is transforming cybersecurity into an industrial-scale operation, with AI tools enabling companies to find and patch vulnerabilities faster than attackers can exploit them.
The article was published on a Thursday. TechCrunch senior reporter Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai, who covers cybersecurity, authored the piece.