Google brings AI answers to map applications

By Kenrick  Cai

(Reuters) - Alphabet’s Google on Thursday announced a set of features that incorporated Gemini, its artificial intelligence chatbot, into its suite of mapping applications.

Widely perceived to have relinquished an early lead on AI development to rivals like Microsoft-backed OpenAI, Google has attempted to catch up by incorporating research advances into existing apps and devices with large user bases.

Google Maps is a prominent example. The product surpassed 2 billion monthly active users, CEO Sundar Pichai said Tuesday during quarterly earnings where he touted investments in AI as "paying off" for its top line.

Thursday’s announcement showcased a new category of search results that can better process open-ended search queries, such as "things to do with friends at night in Boston" or "fun fall activities in Seattle."

Past versions of the Google Maps app respond to such queries with more generic results that are not as accurate. In the past, it displayed a wide range of tourist attractions in Boston including some that are closed at night, whereas the updated app will show more tailored options like a list of speakeasies or live music venues.

Gemini can better understand context like the time of day or season, said Miriam Daniel, a vice president in charge of consumer experiences for Google Maps, at a press event on Wednesday.

"It’s not just ’What’s near me?’ It’s actually ’What can I do tonight?’" she said.

Similar to AI Overviews, the AI-generated summaries in Google’s search tool, the new results in Maps will not replace existing location listings, but rather be displayed above or below them.

Consumers can also ask Gemini questions about a specific place and the software will analyze existing user reviews to answer the question.

The company has come under fire for inaccurate AI search results, including biased responses and a pizza recipe that listed glue as an ingredient. To avoid such problems, known as hallucinations, with Maps, responses from Gemini are cross-referenced against real-world data that Google has collected. 

Google also revealed on Thursday new AI capabilities in other tools like Google Earth and vehicle navigation app Waze.

They include chatbots to help developers and urban planners to analyze map and geographic data more quickly, and a feature in Waze that allows drivers to report road incidents by voice.

(Reporting by Kenrick Cai; editing by Diane Craft)