Google Maps Gets Chatty With a New Gemini-Powered Interface

There’s a new button in Google Maps: “Ask Maps.” Google started rolling out this new generative AI feature today, a conversational, in-app tool that combines data from Maps with a user experience similar to the company’s Gemini chatbot. It’s designed to answer questions about locations and schedule routes in the navigation app.

This is part of Google's overall strategy of adding Gemini to all its products. (Like that Portlandia sketch where the duo visits a boutique and puts bird decals on everything in sight.) Earlier this week, Google added Gemini-powered tools to its Workspace suite, including Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. And weeks before, it debuted a way for Gemini to take control of select apps to run tasks, like booking an Uber.

Ask Maps is first coming to Google Maps users in the US and India. This launch is limited to mobile devices, available on ...