Google Maps Gets An AI Upgrade

Google continues to deploy AI across its platform, giving Maps an AI-driven upgrade....
Google Maps Gets An AI Upgrade
Written by Staff
  • Google continues to deploy AI across its platform, giving Maps an AI-driven upgrade.

    The company outlined the feature in a blog post, beginning with the Immersive View that debuted at I/O:

    Say you want to bike along the water to the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. Just request cycling directions, then tap the Immersive View preview to see your route in a stunning, multidimensional view from start to finish. You can prepare for each turn as if you were there with detailed, visual turn-by-turn directions, and use the time slider to plan when to head out based on helpful information, like simulated traffic and weather conditions. That way, you can easily avoid riding during rainy weather or heavy traffic.

    All of this builds on our work for Immersive View for places, which uses AI to fuse together billions of Street View and aerial images so you can know what a restaurant or landmark is like before you go. Now developers can also create their own immersive experiences with the launch of Photorealistic 3D Tiles in Google Maps Platform this week.

    Google is also leverage AI to augment its Lens feature:

    Google Maps also makes it easier to understand your surroundings once you get somewhere — like if you’re exiting a subway station and need to orient yourself or if you’re scoping out a new neighborhood and need to find the nearest coffee shop. Lens in Maps (formerly called Search with Live View) uses AI and augmented reality to help you quickly acclimate yourself — whether you’re navigating a new city or discovering local hidden gems.

    Simply tap the Lens icon in the search bar and lift your phone to find information about nearby ATMs, transit stations, restaurants, coffee shops and stores. In our biggest expansion of this feature yet, starting this week Lens in Maps is coming to more than 50 new cities including A​​ustin, Las Vegas, Rome, São Paulo and Taipei.

    Maps is also receiving a number of additional updates, including more detailed map views, providing more charging station information for EV drivers, and photo-first results for many queries, such as “animal latte art.”

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