Google has expanded the capabilities of its AI-powered Ask Maps tool inside Google Maps. The updated system can now handle a broader range of personalized and conversational requests. Users can now order food, discover hotels, and receive suggestions that factor in their existing plans. Miriam Daniel, who serves as the head of Google Maps, stated that these new features aim to make it easier to get things done without leaving the application.
The newly introduced agentic capabilities allow users to ask the mapping service to order food while factoring in contextual information. This includes specific dietary needs, current locations, and saved places. Google provided an example where a user can ask the tool to order spicy pad kee mao with seafood for pickup on the way home from work. Ask Maps then searches for open restaurants along the return route that serve the requested meal.
Once a user selects a restaurant from the results, Ask Maps automatically adds the dish to the cart. This allows the user to complete the transaction directly. Google states that food ordering is currently rolling out with partners like Square and Toast. Support for Uber Eats is scheduled to arrive soon.
Ask Maps can also find hotels and local events matching specific user requirements. This includes properties with a particular aesthetic or locations within walking distance of gyms, restaurants, and other facilities. Furthermore, the application now lets users contribute and edit location details conversationally through Ask Maps or the Contribute tab. Users can upload photographs like storefront signs, and the software automatically extracts information such as updated opening hours before asking for confirmation.
Food ordering, hotel and event discovery, and conversational contributions are rolling out right now in the United States. Google plans to bring these options to additional countries over time. Alongside these updates, Google Maps is introducing Personal Intelligence. This is a Gemini-powered feature that personalizes artificial intelligence responses by connecting to data from other Google applications.
Personal Intelligence lets the Ask Maps tool automatically consider existing plans like upcoming flights or dinner reservations when generating responses. This function can connect Ask Maps to Gmail initially. Google notes that this connection is disabled by default. Support for other applications like Calendar is coming in the future.
Real-time transit information is another addition to the Ask Maps feature set. Users can check live updates for delays affecting buses, trains, subways, and ferries. The live transit widget and more personalized responses are currently rolling out to every region where Ask Maps is available. As of today, availability for Ask Maps expands to Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, and Mexico.
Google is rolling out these new food ordering, hotel discovery, and conversational contribution features in the US now, with international expansion and additional app integrations like Calendar slated for the future.
