Privacy issues aside, new Google Maps features allow quicker information for turning and traffic information…
Google Maps this week added Gemini’s AI chatbox to enable conversational route planning, suggestions while navigating and places of interest information. While Google GOOG 0.00%↑ has added AI to many Maps features, this is the first time the company has made route planning and navigation conversational to make the experience “hands-free.”
Users, while driving or even walking, can ask Gemini questions from an open Maps app, which will gather information from more than 250 million mapped places. This allows for information about area businesses and other destinations.
“You can ask Maps just about anything, as if you just chatting with a friend—where to grab a bite, what parking is like at your destination, available EV charging stations nearby—all hands-free,” said Miriam Daniel, vice president and head of Google Maps, in a LinkedIn post. “You can even have Gemini share your ETA with a friend or tell you the game’s score. Maps will guide you with highly visible landmarks curated by Gemini–like turning right at a gas station or a restaurant along the route.”
The ability to find out how bad or good traffic is before you get in it is another feature that Google is touting with Gemini integrated. The company says it proactively notifies a driver of disruptions on the road ahead, rather than looking down at a screen to find traffic jams.
Turning guidance has been improved—and Google said it won’t be the usual “turn right in 500 feet” while driving and wondering how far it is. With Gemini, which will show such landmarks as gas stations, restaurants and other buildings, it will not say something like “turn right at the Thai Siam Restaurant.”
Not everyone is happy about AI’s integration into Google Maps, on LinkedIn, a columnist who goes by the moniker, “James M,” said that the new features turn navigation into prediction. “The system learns your timing, routes, and habits to anticipate your next move. The risk is invisible: your travel data becomes behavioral data. The fix is simple, control what the map records before it begins to think like you,” he said. “Convenience should serve you, not define you.”
In other Google Maps news:
- Google Maps: 3D Maps Now Generally Available for Web. Google Maps has announced that 3D Maps is now generally available. 3D Maps helps businesses meet the rising demand for realistic, interactive experience with photorealistic environments and powerful customization, the company said.
- New Google Maps Feature Will Prevent Losing Navigation Right When You Need It. “The company is working on a new power-saving mode for Google Maps that’d work independently from the phone’s similar settings and help reduce the app’s power use when showing navigation instructions on the screen.”
