You have likely been using “local AI” or machine learning on your laptop battery for quite some time without being explicitly aware of it.

But to be upset about this specific instance seems arbitrary to me.

I am upset because I am aware of this one. How can I be upset about something I am not even aware of?

why would Chrome need additional consent to download/update one of many external components?

The user should be informed about what they are getting. By that logic Chrome csn also install and run a crypto miner.