Google Maps bakes in Gemini to enhance navigation and hands-free use | TechCrunch

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Over the past 12 months, Google has added a number of AI-powered options to Maps to enhance discovery and allow customers to ask questions on locations. Now, the corporate is upgrading the app with Gemini to let customers ask its AI bot questions whereas driving, enhance navigation, and carry out extra duties.

Whereas driving, customers can now ask Gemini to reply questions on locations of curiosity on their route, return outcomes about different subjects (like sports activities or information), and even carry out duties like including occasions to their calendar.

You possibly can ask a number of questions in a dialog, too: for instance, “Is there a budget-friendly restaurant with vegan options along my route, something within a couple of miles? … What’s parking like there?”

Drivers may even report visitors incidents utilizing Gemini, and Maps will proactively notify customers of disruptions on the route forward.

Google Maps bakes in Gemini to enhance navigation and hands-free use | TechCrunch
Picture Credit: Google

Google can also be including a brand new characteristic to Maps that mixes Gemini with Road View information to enhance navigation directions. So as a substitute of telling you to show proper after, say, 500 toes, Maps will now point out a close-by landmark, like fuel stations, eating places or well-known buildings, and spotlight them earlier than you need to make the flip.

The corporate mentioned that Gemini cross-references details about 250 million locations with Road View photographs to determine necessary and visual landmarks for navigation.

Maps can also be getting the power to reply questions on your environment by working along with Google Lens. So you possibly can level the digital camera at locations of curiosity, like eating places and landmarks, and ask questions like, “What is this place and why is it popular?”

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Google mentioned the brand new Gemini navigation options will likely be rolled out to iOS and Android gadgets within the coming weeks, and mentioned help for Android Auto could be coming quickly. Visitors alerts are rolling out within the U.S. for Android customers first; Landmark navigation is presently solely going to be accessible within the U.S. on each iOS and Android; and Lens with Gemini will likely be useful within the U.S. later this month.

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