Google Maps integrates Gemini AI to help you discover new places

Chris Phillips, leader of Google’s Geo division, did not specify how many reviews a business or restaurant must have before Gemini can give it a summary. He pointed out that they must be “sufficient” and balanced between positive and negative comments to have material from which to generate the summary.

Another of the capabilities that Maps will have with the integration of AI is that, based on the information provided by the owners, as well as the users who collaborate, it will be able to resolve some of the most common questions about a site.

Google executives pointed out that it is a contextual and non-personal tool, that is, it is not based on people’s search history, but on where they are on the map. Its implementation will begin this week in the United States and will soon expand to more countries.

Greater immersion for your journeys

Maps has more than 2 billion active users around the world, according to Google figures, and that is why it has generated new ways of visualizing the places you can visit with tools such as Immersive View for routes, which allows you to experience what they look like. stadiums, parks and routes in 3D models that even allow you to see what the weather or traffic conditions will be like at a certain time of day.

These types of elements are useful in places you don’t know, as they help plan routes and learn in a more realistic way how drivers behave in cities.

On the other hand, Google also presented new features for Waze, among which the ability to see and add school zones on the map and new elements to report weather conditions on the road stand out, with the aim of allowing other users to drive more smoothly. safe.

However, the most relevant update will be the use of voice to report interruptions on the road so that drivers are not distracted by turning to the screen. It will only be necessary to press the report button on the screen and comment on the problem in natural language. Waze reported that it will be in beta starting this week worldwide, but only in the English language.

Finally, Google Earth will also receive news related to Gemini, although they will be aimed at city planners to have greater depth in the data they can obtain through the platform and generate new solutions for drivers, such as installing more charging ports. for electric vehicles.