If we need to get somewhere, check how long a trip will take or find a nearby restaurant, it is very likely that we will open Google Maps. The application has become over the years one of those everyday tools that we use both when we travel and when we move around our own city. Since its debut in 2005 as a service designed to help us get from point A to point B, Maps has been incorporating functions that expand its role in digital life. What Google just announced points to a new change in that evolution: the incorporation of artificial intelligence so that the map not only guides us, but can also answer our questions about places, routes and plans.
Ask the map. This novelty turns the map search engine into a conversational interface. Instead of typing the name of a site, we can ask more open-ended questions and get recommendations tailored to the context. According to the Mountain View company, the system is based on information about more than 300 million places and contributions from a community of more than 500 million users who publish reviews, photos and ratings. Additionally, recommendations that appear on the map can be quickly converted into actions within the application itself.
If we find an interesting restaurant, for example, we can save the place, share it with friends or start browsing in a matter of seconds, and the company adds that in some cases it will also be possible to make reservations. For travel, the system can suggest stops between different destinations and display them on the map with clear directions and estimated arrival times. Google further explains that these responses can be customized based on signals such as places that the user has previously searched for or saved in Maps.
More visual navigation. If Ask Maps changes the way we explore and decide, the other big leg of the announcement points directly to how we follow a route within the application. This is where Immersive Navigation comes in, the redesign with which Google wants to make driving more intuitive. In this case, the map starts to show a three-dimensional view of the environment with buildings, overpasses and relief, and also highlights elements of the road such as lanes, traffic lights, pedestrian crossings or stop signs when they can help in a turn or merge. Google also ensures that this new navigation will offer a broader view of the route, more natural voice directions, information about the pros and cons of alternative routes and help in the final section, such as the entrance to the building or the nearby parking lot.
Google’s bet on Gemini. The technology that makes Ask Maps possible is part of a much broader strategy within Google. Gemini is the company’s family of artificial intelligence models, designed to work with different types of data, such as text, images, audio, video and code. Google is progressively deploying it in several of its products, from the Gemini chatbot to tools within Google Workspace or the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Prowhere it acts as the default assistant. Integrating these capabilities into Maps fits with that movement: bringing generative AI to services that are already part of the daily lives of millions of users.
Google Maps evolves. When it launched more than two decades ago, the idea was relatively simple: offer an easier way to get between two points. Over time, however, the product has expanded its reach with new features and sources of information. Google introduced real-time traffic a few years after the launch, Street View in 2007 and turn-by-turn navigation in 2009. Added to this were tools such as offline maps or the ability to consult hours, ratings and prices of millions of businesses. This entire data ecosystem is what now allows functions like Ask Maps to interpret more complex questions about places and plans.
When will it be available. As is usually the case with this type of function, the rollout will be progressive and will not reach all markets from day one. Google has announced that Ask Maps is now rolling out in the United States and India, available on both Android and iPhone devices. The company has also announced that the experience will come to the desktop later, although for now it has not specified when it will expand to other countries. In parallel, Immersive Navigation begins to be deployed in the United States and will be extended in the coming months to compatible iOS and Android devices, in addition to CarPlay, Android Auto and cars that incorporate Google built-in. We will have to wait to know exactly when it will land in Spain.
Images | Google
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