Google Maps gets an AI upgrade to compete with Apple

Google is readying an infusion of artificial intelligence into one of its most popular and longstanding products: the company's flagship navigation app, Google Maps. The company's generative AI chatbot, Gemini, will soon be a ubiquitous part of Maps; the rollout appears to be part of a larger effort to combat recent AI advances made by one of Google's largest competitors, Apple.

Google is "transforming Maps with the power of Gemini models, helping you get answers to complex questions about the world," Google's parent company, Alphabet, announced in an Oct. 31 press release. AI has already "helped us build new experiences for over a decade," but will now be a part of Maps in a largely new way, according to the company.

How will Google Maps use new AI features?

The biggest change is people will be able to use Gemini's chatbot features to communicate with Maps. This means users will be able to "converse with Google Maps to ask for tips on things to do around specific spots in a neighborhood or city and receive lists of restaurants, bars and other nearby attractions that include reviews that have been compiled through the years," said The Associated Press.

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Some of the new questions that can be asked to Maps include "open-ended search queries, such as 'things to do with friends at night in Boston' or 'fun fall activities in Seattle,'" said Reuters. Previously, Maps would "respond to such queries with more generic results that are not as accurate," while the "updated app will show more tailored options like a list of speakeasies or live music venues."

The Gemini chatbot will also provide "information about parking options near a designated destination, along with walking directions for a user to check after departing the car," said the AP. Additional road signs and crosswalks will also be clearly marked on Maps to help navigate unfamiliar areas.

Another Google-owned navigation company, Waze, will also "benefit from AI-enhanced natural language processing, with the addition of conversational reporting," said Ars Technica. This means "no more scrabbling to hit the right icon on your phone to report that tire in the middle of the highway or the traffic cop hiding behind a bush," as well as other generative AI features.

How will this help Google compete?

Google remains the industry leader in navigation apps. The company recently announced that Maps has more than 2 billion monthly users, far exceeding the user base of Apple Maps. However, Apple has been making large gains in AI in recent months, and "Google can't afford to stand still," said Bloomberg.

Tech companies are "racing to build digital assistants that can guide users as they go about their daily lives, and mapping is shaping up to be a key ingredient," Bob O'Donnell, an analyst with TECHnalysis Research, said to Bloomberg. This is why, even while Google remains at the forefront of navigation apps, the company continues pushing AI integration.

And while Apple Maps is still behind Google, it "has come a long way and is now on par with Google in some key markets," said Bloomberg, and notably has widespread usage as part of Apple CarPlay. The "Apple Maps app and Google Maps app have always had their strengths and weaknesses, but in recent years the two apps have continued to borrow the best features and elements from each other," said Fast Company.