Google has woven its Gemini chatbot into the everyday act of finding one's way around a city, so that a traveller or a diner can now pose a full question to Google Maps rather than sifting through a heap of listings and reviews. The change sits in a long human habit of asking a local for advice, now handed to a machine that has absorbed the recommendations of hundreds of millions of contributors. For now it speaks English in the United States and India, with Hindi promised, and whether its judgments about parking, walking and access will prove as trustworthy as a good neighbour's remains an op
Google Maps Gets Gemini-Powered 'Ask Maps' for Conversational Place and Travel Queries
Ask Maps can book a table, save a spot, or start navigation from its answers.
Mark
So what actually changes for someone opening Maps tomorrow?
Mimi
There's a new Ask Maps button. Instead of searching and scrolling listings, you type or say something like you'd say it to a friend, and it answers with specifics.
Mark
Google gave a sports-match example. Why that one?
Mimi
Because it stacks needs: vegetarian appetisers, live streaming, maybe valet parking. Those are usually spread across listings and reviews.
Luke
Worth noting those are Google's own illustrations. The reporting doesn't show how well it performs on real queries.
Mark
And the data behind it?
Mimi
More than 300 million places and reviews from over 500 million contributors. It also uses your past searches and saved places, so a habitual vegetarian searcher gets vegetarian options first.
Luke
Those figures are the company's, and the source doesn't say how fresh the review details are. Something like parking ease is only as good as what reviewers wrote.
Mark
It can also act on answers?
Mimi
Yes. Book a reservation, save a place to a list, or start navigation straight from the recommendations.
Luke
Still unknown: accuracy in practice, and whether it expands past the US and India. Hindi is described as expected soon, not dated.
El Pulso
- A simple search has become a conversation, and the old routine of opening tab after tab is suddenly under pressure.
- Users can ask by voice or text whether a restaurant suits vegetarian friends, parking, or an elderly parent's first visit to Mumbai.
- Ask Maps weighs past searches and saved places, so a Bengaluru visitor's habits quietly shape which options rise to the top.
- Answers now lead straight to action, with reservations, saved lists and navigation available from the same screen.
- The rollout is limited to English in the US and India for now, and Hindi support and wider reach are still waiting to be proven.
Google has woven its Gemini chatbot into the everyday act of finding one's way around a city, so that a traveller or a diner can now pose a full question to Google Maps rather than sifting through a heap of listings and reviews. The change sits in a long human habit of asking a local for advice, now handed to a machine that has absorbed the recommendations of hundreds of millions of contributors. For now it speaks English in the United States and India, with Hindi promised, and whether its judgments about parking, walking and access will prove as trustworthy as a good neighbour's remains an open question.
Google has put its Gemini chatbot inside Google Maps under the name Ask Maps. Instead of working through listings and websites, people can type or speak a detailed question about a place and receive a single answer in the app. The feature is rolling out in English in the United States and India on Android and iOS, with Hindi support expected soon.
The assistant draws on more than 300 million listed places and reviews and updates from a global community of over 500 million contributors. Google's pitch is that answers arrive with context rather than as a bare list. Its examples are everyday: someone planning a night out to watch a match can ask for vegetarian-friendly venues showing that day's game, then follow up to find the easiest one to park near.
Travel is the other scenario. A person hosting senior parents on a first visit to Mumbai can ask for places needing little walking or offering accessibility features, and receive directions and comparisons between driving and public transport, adjusted for traffic and travel time. Personalisation shapes the results, so a visitor to Bengaluru who usually searches for vegetarian food will see highly rated vegetarian options first. From any recommendation, users can book a table, save the place or start navigation.
What remains to be seen is how Hindi performs, how dependably the assistant handles practical details like parking and accessibility, and whether Ask Maps reaches beyond the US and India.
Google has put its Gemini chatbot inside Google Maps. The feature is called Ask Maps, and it lets people type or speak a detailed question about a place and get an answer in the app, instead of working through a stack of listings and websites.
The rollout is in English, in the United States and India, on both Android and iOS. Google says Hindi support is expected to follow soon. To use it, a person taps the Ask Maps button in the app and enters the query by voice or text.
Google says the assistant draws on the data Maps already holds: more than 300 million listed places, plus reviews and updates contributed by a global community of more than 500 million users. The pitch is that answers come back with context rather than as a bare list of results.
The company's examples are everyday ones. Someone organising a night out to watch a sports match with friends could ask for places with good vegetarian appetisers that will be streaming that day's game. Ask Maps can then suggest venues and add details such as popular vegetarian dishes, the atmosphere on match days, and whether valet parking is available. A follow-up such as "Which of these would be easiest to park in?" prompts it to refine the suggestions, using practical details pulled from reviews and other web information.
Travel planning is another use. Google's second example is a person hosting parents who are senior citizens and visiting Mumbai for the first time that weekend. The user asks what places or experiences they could cover easily, and Ask Maps is meant to respond with options suited to that, such as places that need minimal walking or offer accessibility features. The tool also provides directions and compares transport options, including driving and public transport, factoring in traffic conditions and estimated travel time.
Personalisation is built in. Google Maps looks at a user's past searches and saved places to shape its suggestions. If someone visiting Bengaluru usually searches for vegetarian food, a restaurant request will put highly rated vegetarian options first.
The feature also acts on its answers. From the recommendations, users can book restaurant reservations, save locations to lists, or start navigation directly.
What to watch next is the arrival of Hindi support, how reliably the assistant handles practical details like parking and accessibility, and whether Google extends Ask Maps beyond the US and India.
Citas Notables
Users can ask follow-ups like 'Which of these would be easiest to park in?' and Ask Maps will refine its suggestions.— Google, as described in Firstpost
Quieres la nota completa?
Lee el original en Firstpost ↗
Technology