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Google Maps' Ask Maps expands globally, adds personal intelligence and real-time transit
Key points
- Ask Maps is now available in over 150 countries and territories.
- Personal Intelligence integrates with Gmail for personalized travel suggestions.
- Real-time transit information for buses, trains, subways, and ferries is added.
- New agentic capabilities allow ordering food and booking hotels.
Global Expansion of Ask Maps
The Gemini-powered Ask Maps feature in Google Maps, initially launched in the US, is now expanding its availability. It is rolling out in English to Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, and Mexico, along with over 150 other countries and territories. This expansion makes the conversational AI feature accessible to a broader user base worldwide.
Personal Intelligence and Contextual Suggestions
Ask Maps now incorporates "Personal Intelligence," starting with an integration with Gmail. This feature allows Ask Maps to factor in a user's upcoming flight or dinner reservations from their Gmail account to provide relevant suggestions without explicit input. For example, it can offer recommendations for activities near a hotel based on a reservation found in Gmail, along with travel tips for getting to the airport. Users must manually enable Personal Intelligence, with support for Google Calendar and other applications planned for future releases.
The chat also gains the ability to remember past conversations if History settings are enabled, allowing users to easily revisit previous suggestions and continue planning without starting over.
Real-time Transit Information
In addition to traffic data, Ask Maps can now access real-time transit information for various modes of transport, including buses, trains, subways, and ferries. This allows users to inquire about specific routes and receive updated departure times and delay notifications directly within the chat interface. These real-time transit capabilities are available wherever Ask Maps is deployed.
Agentic Capabilities for Multi-step Tasks
New agentic capabilities enable Ask Maps to perform complex, multi-step tasks. Users can now prompt the AI to order food, with the system identifying restaurants along a route, considering saved places and dietary needs, and placing the selected dish in a cart for finalization. At launch, this feature supports Square and Toast, with Uber Eats integration planned. Additionally, Ask Maps can assist with booking hotels by comparing prices and availability, and finding local events based on user criteria.
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Reporting from
Google Maps' Gemini-powered Ask Maps chat is rolling out globally to over 150 countries and territories, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, and Mexico. The update introduces "Personal Intelligence" integration with Gmail for personalized suggestions, real-time transit information, and agentic capabilities for tasks like food ordering and hotel booking.