Google Maps Is Getting AI-Powered Features, Find Out What's New

Google Maps is getting a slew of AI-powered upgrades. To recap, Google announced some of these features at Google I/O 2023 in May.

These AI-powered features will help users perform several tasks, including discovering new places and activities. Aside from that, the upgraded Google Maps will come in handy for planning trips, navigating unfamiliar areas, finding electric vehicle charging stations and more.

Some of these features are set to roll out to Google Maps this week. Immersive View for Routes is one of the most exciting features. It was originally announced in May.

Immersive View for Routes

Google has combined navigation and Immersive View mode to enable users to preview their entire route on a more personal level.

Street View does not offer turn-by-turn navigation. As a result, users are likely to get lost somewhere in those virtual streets.

Immersive view, on the other hand, uses AI-generated imagery that blends aerial and Street View photos into a 3D render. This will be a lot closer to what users actually experience from the ground.

On top of that, these visualisations will integrate traffic data, weather forecasts and air quality. This will allow you to alter your travel plans based on what conditions will be like.

Immersive View for Routes is slated to roll out for both Android and iOS this week. However, it will be limited to some of the major cities at first.

Immersive View for Routes will first roll out for users in Venice, Tokyo, San Jose, Seattle, San Francisco, Paris, New York, Miami, LA, London, Las Vegas, Florence, Dublin, Barcelona and Amsterdam.

AI-powered Google Maps search

An earlier report indicated that Google is gearing up to bring major upgrades to Google Maps. Some of these upgrades were reportedly backed by AI-like algorithms.

Finally, Google Maps search is getting this much-needed AI boost. The AI will analyse user-submitted photos to understand what a particular business has to offer.

Users searching for specific words like "animal latte art" will now see photo results of matching locations. With AI and image recognition, they will be able to find relevant spots.

Moreover, Maps will display local points of interest in a more convenient way. Similarly, when you look for "things to do," Maps will offer collections of similar places of interest.

Overall, this upgrade will ensure you do not end up endlessly scrolling through locations just to find the type of stuff you're interested in.

AI image recognition comes to Maps in select countries, including the US, UK, Japan, Germany and France later this week. The improved search collections will also roll out globally in the coming weeks.

Google Maps navigation upgrades

Traditional navigation is set to get a boost as well, including upgrades to lane details. As a result, you will not end up crossing multiple lanes of traffic to avoid missing your turn or exit.

To help users orient themselves better in urban environments, Maps is adding more realistic buildings. This feature will be available to users in the US, Germany, France, Canada and 8 other unnamed countries.

It is currently unclear whether the UK is one of them. It is worth noting that the existing version of Maps doesn't show what lane your car needs to be in to leave the highway.

Drivers in the US will be able to see HOV lanes along their route soon. Moreover, AI-powered speed limit information is set to arrive in twenty European countries. All these features will be made available to users in the coming months.

Lens in Maps

In its latest blog post, Google noted it will rebrand the "Search with Live View " feature to "Lens in Maps". This is an AR (augmented reality)-backed feature that helps users adapt to an unfamiliar area.

It showcases nearby ATMs, stores, coffee shops, restaurants and transit stations. The search giant did not explain how AI will be used in the feature.

After launching in select regions last year, Lens in Maps is set to arrive in fifty more cities globally later this week. It will be available in Taipei, Sao Paulo, Rome, Las Vegas, Austin and other cities,

EV charging info

EV drivers will be able to see useful charging information in the Google Maps app on Android and iOS. Maps will show whether the charger is compatible with their car, when it was last used and what sort of speeds to expect.

This should help EV drivers to avoid broken chargers. The feature, which will roll out this week, will be available in regions where EV charging station data is available.

Earlier this month, Google added some useful accessibility features and updates to improve the experience for its disabled users. The new features were added to multiple Google products, including Maps and Search.