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In a significant overhaul announced on Thursday, Google Maps is set to rely more extensively on artificial intelligence to assist users in discovering destinations and selecting optimal travel routes. This transformation is part of a broader redesign effort.
At the heart of this revamp is Google’s Gemini technology, which will introduce two innovative AI features into the digital mapping platform, a tool utilized by over 2 billion individuals globally.
One of the new tools, named Ask Maps, will enhance the conversational capabilities that were integrated into the service last November. It aims to offer users suggestions for nearby device charging stations, cafes with minimal wait times, and comprehensive itineraries for road trips featuring multiple stops.
Gemini’s recommendations are backed by an extensive database that covers over 300 million locations and insights from more than 500 million contributors, accumulated since Google Maps launched over two decades ago. Google representatives have not commented on whether there are plans to introduce advertisements to improve a business’s visibility in Ask Maps’ recommendations. Initially, Ask Maps will be accessible through the Google Maps mobile app on iPhones and Android devices within the U.S. and India, with plans to expand to desktop platforms and additional countries.
Described by Google executives as the most substantial change to driving directions yet, Gemini has developed a new feature called Immersive Navigation. This tool offers a three-dimensional view, providing users with a clearer understanding of their current location. The 3D illustrations generated by Gemini include significant landmarks, road medians, and other terrain features to help drivers orient themselves more effectively during their travels.
Google believes its AI guardrails are now strong enough to prevent the Gemini technology underlying Immersive Navigation from fabricating bogus places to go, a malfunction known within the industry as a “hallucination.”
Immersive Navigation is also supposed to help Google Maps more clearly explain the pros and cons of different driving routes to the same recommendation, as well as point to the best places to park once a user arrives at a designated destination. The new AI-powered navigation will only be available in the U.S. initially, on Google Maps’ mobile app for the iPhone and Android, as well as cars equipped with options to activate CarPlay and Android Auto.
The increased reliance on AI in Google Maps follows the company’s introduction of more Gemini technology to make two of its other most popular products — Gmail and the Chrome web browser — more proactive and helpful to their billions of users. The expansion underscores Google’s confidence in the Gemini 3 model that the Mountain View, California, company released late last year as part of an intensifying battle for AI supremacy with up-and-coming rivals such as OpenAI and Anthropic.