Google Maps is adding AI features to make it more like a local guide. AI maps ingest all kinds of data and help you find what you need. This is especially helpful for travelers who don't know the city they're visiting. Google Maps.
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Finding something on Google Maps can be both easy and difficult. Finding your nearest Starbucks is easy. It's hard to find the nearest local coffee shop with vegan pastries and a cool, friendly atmosphere that doesn't let idiots with laptops hog the table.
This is where AI comes into play. Instead of a simple name and keyword search, Maps can use machine learning or large-scale language models (LLM) to extract data that isn't in your Yelp description. This means you can read between the lines and, in theory, potentially be able to provide visitors with the same level of service as an experienced local guide, without actually speaking to a local.
“My travels have taught me the importance of reliable and accurate information, and with its extensive and detailed maps and location data, Google Maps has often been my trusted companion. The prospect of AI-enhanced maps built on this foundation offers an exciting leap forward.'' stefan drescherThe founder of Germany Travel Blog and an experienced traveler told Lifewire via email.
Smarter AI maps
Google has been using AI in maps since before it became popular. In 2021, we added AI to our turn-by-turn routing capabilities, using machine learning to identify “breaking events” and route users to avoid those events. It also uses AI to identify road data from Street View images and converts it into maps. This enables what Google calls “detailed road maps,” allowing you to add bike lanes, crosswalks, and other non-standard road features to the map.
Google Maps.
All of this is fine, but what we're talking about here is the new LLM feature. Here, Google uses the same technology as Chat GPT, Dall-E, and other “AI” creation tools to understand all the metadata around a location that would normally be excluded from a basic map search. .
Google's AI mapping technology is integrated with the Local Guides scheme. In this scheme, real people provide local knowledge and in return you earn points, 'ratings', reviews, business information and photos.
According to Google's blog post, the results look like this: If you ask Maps for “vintage-inspired places in sci-fi,” you'll get a list of places organized into categories like record stores, vintage clothing stores, cool stores, and more. coffee shops etc.
You can also specify that you'd like to have lunch, and Maps will sift through Vintage's search results to find a spot that's right for you. Other examples include rainy day activities and activities for kids.
Google matches photos to dishes listed on online menus.
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Google also uses AI to match real photos to dishes on restaurant menus, so you can be sure your croissant is vintage enough before you take the plunge.
AI travel guide
This is clearly a huge boon for travelers who often have no knowledge of the place they are visiting. I still remember the first time I visited Berlin for a press event, before the advent of smartphones. I stayed in a hotel in the middle of nowhere and ate house wine in a seedy cardboard pizzeria with peeling paint. Years later, when I moved to the city, I realized that if I had turned left instead of straight out the door, I would have hit the best street in Berlin to buy food.
Perhaps Google's AI map would have guided me better, and it can only improve if Google adds other data to the mix.
Because Google already indexes the entire public web, it can draw all sorts of conclusions about real-world locations. Imagine reading every blog post, every restaurant review, and tons of social media posts about a city. If you can do that and still maintain consciousness, you might be a great person to ask about the city.
Google Maps walking route.
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“Personally, I'm cautiously optimistic. The depth and accuracy of Google's data will make AI-based recommendations extremely useful, providing insights and discoveries that might otherwise be missed. But the beauty of travel is often serendipitous discoveries and the wisdom of local insights that you can't get from an algorithm. Yes,” RV travel writer Anthony Smith told Lifewire via email.
This is exactly what machine learning excels at. By creating models and setting computers to take in and sift through all the information, they can use the data in ways that humans cannot. While we distract ourselves with chatbots that slowly go off the rails and make up all sorts of lies, companies like Google are developing really useful ways to use this technology, creating clear boundaries. We train them on the right data with a purpose, so that they can draw conclusions. Otherwise, just doing a map search might not get you there, at least within a few seconds.
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