Google Maps gets an AI upgrade to compete with Apple
The Google-owned Waze, a navigation app, will be getting similar upgrades
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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Dark energy data suggest Einstein was right (luckily)
Speed Read Albert Einstein's 1915 theory of general relativity has been proven correct, according to data collected by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine fires ATACMS, Russia ups hybrid war
Speed Read Ukraine shot U.S.-provided long-range missiles and Russia threatened retaliation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New York DA floats 4-year Trump sentencing freeze
Speed Read President-elect Donald Trump's sentencing is on hold, and his lawyers are pushing to dismiss the case while he's in office
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
What Trump's win could mean for Big Tech
Talking Points The tech industry is bracing itself for Trump's second administration
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Is ChatGPT's new search engine OpenAI's Google 'killer'?
Talking Point There's a new AI-backed search engine in town. But can it stand up to Google's decades-long hold on internet searches?
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Teen suicide puts AI chatbots in the hot seat
In the spotlight A Florida mom has targeted custom AI chatbot platform Character.AI and Google in a lawsuit over her son's death
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
The Internet Archive is under attack
Under the Radar The non-profit behind open access digital library was hit with both a data breach and a stream of DDoS attacks in one week
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Is the world ready for Tesla's new domestic robots?
Talking Points The debut of Elon Musk's long-promised "Optimus" at a Tesla event last week has renewed debate over the role — and feasibility — of commercial automatons
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Network states: the tech bros who want to create new countries
Under The Radar Concept would allow you to 'choose your nationality like you choose your broadband provider'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The internet is being overrun by ads
Under the Radar Grabbing attention has never been more annoying
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
States sue TikTok over children's mental health
Speed Read The lawsuit was filed by 13 states and Washington, D.C.
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published