Here Are The New AI Features Coming Google Maps, Waze, And More

Long gone are the days of flipping open a huge map and trying to find your way to an unfamiliar destination. These days, phones and many vehicles are equipped with GPS and real-time traffic information, making it next to impossible to get lost.

But Big Tech companies aren’t satisfied with the current level of capabilities, which is why Google announced this week that its Gemini AI system will be introduced into several popular platforms, including Google Maps, Waze, and Google Earth.

An industry leader

Just like Google’s search engine quickly rose to the top of the heap, Google Maps has become a go-to navigation resource for people around the world — with more than 2 billion monthly users on average.

With its addition of AI capabilities, the chances are good that rivals will rush to compete with their own versions of the tech.

As for the perceived benefit of Gemini’s inclusion in Maps, Google exec Chris Phillips offered examples of how AI is already being used in navigation technology.

“Think of features like Lens and Maps,” he said. “When you’re on a street corner, you can lift up your phone and look, and through your camera view, you can actually see we laid places on top of your view. So you can see a business. Is it open? What are the ratings for it? You can even see businesses that are out of your line of sight.”

What to expect

Maps, Waze, and Earth, each of which fall under the umbrella of Google’s Geo division, will soon offer a host of new features, such as:

• Conversational searches
• Weather issues
• School zone alerts
• Parking options
• Landmark suggestions

The AI capabilities will vary from platform to platform, but we can probably expect similar updates from Google and its competitors in the near future.

Chris Agee November 1st, 2024

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