Google Maps uses Gemini integration to answer travel questions

• Google Maps introduces Ask Maps for AI-powered search and weather alerts.

• Other updates include improved navigation detail and weather reporting while maintaining core functionality.

• Waze is testing conversational reporting that should expand to Google Maps in the future.

Google has been working hard for almost a year to bring Gemini to every product possible, and this week it’s Google Maps’ turn. Google today announced a slew of updates to Google Maps, Google Earth, and Waze, headlined by the new Ask Maps feature in Google Maps, which uses Gemini’s natural language capabilities to answer questions about nearby places. Waze is also testing a new user-friendly option for reporting road hazards in natural language. This feature, according to Google Maps Vice President and General Manager Miriam Daniel, will also appear in Maps someday.

Maps gets AI-powered search, weather alerts, and more.

The new Ask Maps reminds me a lot of its namesake Ask Photos, a Gemini feature in Google Photos that lets you ask questions to get answers from your photo library. The Ask Maps feature works in a similar way: you can ask Google Maps about specific things. Google will use the example of “things to do with friends at night,” and Gemini will use review content from places nearby to provide a list of relevant options. Gemini will also summarize reviews of individual companies and answer questions about those companies. For example, you might ask if the restaurant offers vegetarian options or if it has outdoor seating.

However, not all of this week’s updates are AI related; The core capabilities of Maps are also being improved. Navigation will display more detailed information where possible, including lanes, crosswalks and signs, to help you better understand exactly where you should be on the road at any given time. There is also a new system that allows you to report weather violations while driving. As with the existing ability to report speed traps and stopped vehicles, you’ll soon be able to report conditions like poor visibility or uncleared snowy roads, as well as see other users’ reports of the same conditions.

Immersive View is also expanding. Starting this week, you’ll be able to view 3D images of areas in 150 cities around the world. Maps also get immersive views of more types of places, including college campuses.

Conversational reporting in Waze

Waze is testing a useful new feature in beta starting this week. “Trusted testers” will be able to report problems along the way by clicking a button and naturally reporting what they see; Gemini interprets the input and adds the appropriate information to the map. Phrases like “the car has a flat tire” or “a garbage can fell on the road” report a stopped car or an obstacle on the street, respectively.

The feature appears to be undergoing limited testing in Waze before rolling out more widely, including to Google Maps. At the briefing, I asked if Google was planning to bring conversational reporting to Maps. Google Maps Vice President and General Manager Miriam Daniel said she couldn’t stick to a timeline, but she “absolutely” wants to see the feature available in Maps, noting that “conversation reporting is the future.” Conversational Reporting will be available in beta to English-speaking users starting this week, and to “more users and languages ​​in the coming months.”

Launching this week

It’s not hard to see how AI integration into navigation products is going awry, but it looks like Google’s approach here is relatively low-key, with Gemini being used to improve the experience rather than updating any core features. The above features will be rolling out to Google Maps and Waze this week.