Google Maps gets Gemini AI for complex search and "Immersive Navigation"

Google has announced the integration of its AI model Gemini into its own map service. In the future, Gemini will be able to answer complex search queries in Google Maps as if in a normal conversation. The chatbot will not only consider locations but also local features learned from Maps user reports. At the same time, Google has also used Gemini to expand Maps' navigation functions. The AI model creates a current 3D view for the so-called "Immersive Navigation" for better visualization of the route.

This is another step in expanding Google's AI support for Maps, after the company announced at the end of January that Gemini navigates pedestrians in Google Maps. Cyclists have been able to navigate by voice since then. Here too, Google emphasized that the navigation works as if you were talking to "a friend in the passenger seat". This function is now being expanded to Google Maps as a whole, initially rolling out in the USA. Other countries are to follow in the coming months.

Conversations with the Maps AI

Analogous to Google's AI-powered "Ask Photos", "Ask Maps" allows extensive search queries that go beyond just locating a place. Miriam Daniel, Vice President and General Manager of Google Maps, mentions questions in a blog post such as: "My phone battery is almost dead – where can I charge it without waiting in line for coffee for a long time?" Especially for parents of young children, it would be useful to know where the nearest public, reasonably clean toilet is. Gemini should be able to answer this in Google Maps in the future.

According to Google, Gemini accesses Maps information from over 300 million locations and reports from the Maps community of more than 500 million users. The artificial intelligence (AI) is limited to data from Google Maps and does not use other Google apps like Gmail. Personalized answers are only provided based on previous search queries or favorite locations. If users have previously searched for or marked vegetarian restaurants as favorites, Gemini will prefer them in future search responses.

Navigation with New Visualization

For the way to the desired location, Gemini has enhanced navigation with an extended 3D view, which Google now calls "Immersive Navigation". Buildings, bridges, and the surrounding terrain are now visually represented based on new data from Street View and aerial photography. Important details such as traffic lights, stop signs, and pedestrian crossings are also displayed. This is intended to help users find their way around better. Google calls this the "biggest navigation upgrade in over a decade".

The navigation function also explains why a particular route was recommended, allowing users to better compare potential alternatives. This information is based on current traffic data and user reports on roadworks or accidents. Upon arrival, Gemini will then offer further details such as parking options or additional directions for the last leg of the journey within Google Maps if needed. All of this is to be accompanied by revised voice guidance, which sounds more natural, "like a friend accompanying you on the way."

Immersive navigation is currently being introduced in the United States for suitable Android and iOS devices and will be expanded to other countries in the coming months. "Ask Maps" will initially be available in India, first on mobile devices, but soon also for desktop systems.

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