Google Maps gets an AI upgrade to compete with Apple

The Google-owned Waze, a navigation app, will be getting similar upgrades

Photo collage of hands using a smartphone to map a route, with an aerial shot of a convoluted highway junction in the background
AI is coming to Google Maps
(Image credit: Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images)

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.

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Justin Klawans, The Week US

 Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other Hollywood news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.