Google brings more Gemini AI to navigation with ‘Ask Maps’ feature

Google As the company pushes AI tools deeper into its broad product portfolio, Gemini is adding AI technology to a new feature in its mapping service.

The new button, called “Ask Maps,” will include a chatbot that allows users to ask complex questions outside of typical navigation topics, Miriam Daniel, vice president of Google Maps, said in a blog post Thursday.

Users are now asking “My phone is dying; where can I charge it without waiting in a long line for coffee?” They will be able to ask questions such as. or “Is there a public tennis court with the lights on that I can play on tonight?”

The company said results are personalized based on previous searches and saved trips on Google Maps, making it “easier to turn plans into action.”

“Google Maps is fundamentally changing what a map can do,” the company said in its blog post. “By combining the world’s newest map with our most capable Gemini models, we’re turning exploration into simple conversation and making driving more intuitive than ever with our biggest navigation upgrade in over a decade.”

Google is adding more artificial intelligence to its maps service as part of a broader effort to differentiate Gemini from potential competition and keep users on its products longer. with more than one 2 billion monthly usersGoogle Maps, which turned 20 last year, is the world’s top navigation app

The Ask Maps app begins rolling out to Android in the US and India on Thursday, and Apple’s The company said iOS will soon come with the desktop.

In the briefing given to journalists before the announcement, Google employees said that the company did not add ads to this feature, but did not rule out the possibility for the future.

“Right now we’re focused on delivering this to our users and providing a great experience,” said Andrew Duchi, Google’s director of product management.

Google Maps makes money primarily by selling ads and promoted placements to businesses. It also charges companies for access to Maps APIs and location data.

Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Nowak told CNBC that Google doesn’t generate revenue from maps, which have historically been one of the search giant’s least money-making products. The unit is trying to raise revenue, including licensing new map datasets for companies to use when developing products based on renewable energy.

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