About a year ago, we learned about what perhaps was the first integration of Google Artificial Intelligence into Google Maps utilizing large-language models (LLMs) to help users find relevant places for a variety of situations and needs.
We enjoyed discussing the implications and possibilities when @MortenCopenhagen shared the news of the update, and over the span of a year, we’ve seen this technology evolve it’s use-cases across the Google Maps platform.
More recently, we’ve had Local Guides share some of the latest updates, such as @ErmesT sharing insights and news around the summarized with Gemini review summaries and @ShifaAymal sharing an update on some of the GMap connections that enable Google Gemini to deliver information to users leveraged from details and contributions within Google Maps.
I was delighted to discover another AI feature that seems to be live known as “Ask Maps about this place”.
For disclosure, I am utilizing a stable, non-beta build in the USA and have noticed this popping up for some POIs, but not specific categories. Results may vary depending on your geographic location.
To access the feature, you can try doing so via the overview tab above the review summaries section on the place sheet. In a nutshell, this feature has worked-in some of the search experience we had with the initial generative AI search/query but has it built into the POI sheet. From my experience, it seems to source information from contributions from Local Guides like us in Maps and external sources such as websites. In my exploration of the feature, I took it on a test drive in planning a day of activities:
From finding a great place for morning coffee with an opportunity to take some home with me…
…to ensuring that a park I’ve heard great things about not only allows, but also has accomodations, for furry friends…
…to avoiding missing a reservation at a restaurant by understanding the parking situation before getting there.
If you aren’t sure of what to ask, the feature automatically populates questions that are relevant to the place to inspire more questions you may have. Some I’ve seen include:
- Do they have a variety of vendors? (Farmers market)
- Is there valet parking? (high end mall)
- Is the venue accessible? (arena/stadium)
And while it is still in early stages and it may not be able to answer every query just yet, as seen above, the possibilities for fine tuning this feature info a game changer for making great decisions are definitely ripe.
I’m excited to see how this implementation helps makes Maps more helpful. The use of Local Guide reviews primarily as the source of information is great, and I feel that the supplemental sources for other information is a nice touch, as it is clear which sources are used which allows us the possibility to dig a little deeper. I’m interested to see if this AI will be able to identify and leverage other helpful details from other contributions and details such as photos, yes/no questions, or even the current questions and answers feature which allows asking the Maps community questions about specific places.
Are you excited to see and use this feature? What other ways could you see generative AI making Maps better?