Google plans to use its maps service to go beyond just telling users where to turn left, eventually providing them with everything from related content to ideas for future vacations.
The search giant announced this week that it’s partnering with media outlets like The New York Times, Lonely Planet and The Infatuation to create lists of restaurants and attractions for specific travel destinations, starting with 40 cities across the U.S. and Canada. The company revealed more details about how it’s bringing generative AI to Maps for the first time. The program was announced in February and is currently in a testing phase with select power users.
The update, which Tech Brew previewed at Google’s travel-themed event in Manhattan this week, comes as Google is now using AI as well as generative AI to change various aspects of Google Maps, from EV charging station information to better recommendations.
Trendy Travel Tips
In addition to lists created by its publisher partners, Google Maps will also create lists of “trending” restaurants that are particularly popular at certain times, as well as hidden gems or “hot” places that are “consistently gaining a lot of interest,” Andrew Duch, product director for Google Maps, said onstage at the event.
When asked by another reporter at the event whether Google plans to also include recommendation lists from other sources, such as travel bloggers, Duchi responded: “We’re going to be working with the smaller crowd. We’re going to take a cautious approach to surfacing them initially, but we’re going to try to find some of these great lists from the Maps community.”
“We have special partnerships with some of the major publishers,” Deutch told Tech Brew at the event. “We’re not paying creators to create this content, but one of the things we do is engage with them and talk about things like, ‘How can we make this useful for you? Is this a tool you can use?'”
AI Everywhere
Google plans to roll out its map-generating AI capabilities more broadly, incorporating the technology across all of its services. Duch said the integration will make Maps more conversational, allowing users to ask what to do on a rainy day in Chicago and narrow results through dialogue, such as asking for kid-friendly options.
The feature is currently only available to top Local Guides volunteers, and there is no “specific timeline” for it to be available to all Maps users, Duch said.
This article originally appeared on Tech Brew.
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