Google Maps Bakes In Gemini To Improve Navigation And Hands-free Use

Over nan past year, Google has added multiple AI-powered features to Maps to amended find and alteration users to inquire questions astir places. Now, nan institution is upgrading nan app pinch Gemini to fto users inquire its AI bot questions while driving, amended navigation, and execute much tasks.

While driving, users tin now inquire Gemini to reply questions astir places of liking connected their route, return results astir different topics (like sports aliases news), and moreover execute tasks for illustration adding events to their calendar.

You tin inquire aggregate questions successful a conversation, too: for example, “Is location a budget-friendly edifice pinch vegan options on my route, thing wrong a mates of miles? … What’s parking for illustration there?”

Drivers tin moreover study postulation incidents utilizing Gemini, and Maps will proactively notify users of disruptions connected nan way ahead.

Image Credits: Google

Google is besides adding a caller characteristic to Maps that combines Gemini pinch Street View information to amended navigation instructions. So alternatively of telling you to move correct after, say, 500 feet, Maps will now mention a adjacent landmark, for illustration state stations, restaurants aliases celebrated buildings, and item them earlier you person to make nan turn.

The institution said that Gemini cross-references accusation astir 250 cardinal places pinch Street View images to place important and visible landmarks for navigation.

Maps is besides getting nan expertise to reply questions astir your surroundings by moving together pinch Google Lens. So you tin constituent nan camera astatine places of interest, for illustration restaurants and landmarks, and inquire questions like, “What is this spot and why is it popular?”

Google said nan caller Gemini navigation features will beryllium rolled retired to iOS and Android devices successful nan coming weeks, and said support for Android Auto would beryllium coming soon. Traffic alerts are rolling retired successful nan U.S. for Android users first; Landmark navigation is presently only going to beryllium disposable successful nan U.S. connected some iOS and Android; and Lens pinch Gemini will beryllium functional successful nan U.S. later this month.