Google adds AI chatbot Gemini’s answers to its map applications
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To avoid problems known as hallucinations with Google Maps, responses from Gemini are cross-referenced against real-world data that Google has collected.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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CALIFORNIA – Alphabet’s Google on Oct 31 announced a set of features that incorporated Gemini, its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, into its suite of mapping applications.
Widely perceived to have relinquished an early lead on AI development to rivals like Microsoft-backed OpenAI, Google has attempted to catch up by incorporating research advances into existing apps and devices with large user bases.
Google Maps is a prominent example. The product surpassed two billion monthly active users, Alphabet’s chief executive officer Sundar Pichai said on Oct 29 during quarterly earnings where he touted investments in AI as “paying off” for its top line.
The Oct 31 announcement showcased a new category of search results that can better process open-ended search queries, such as “things to do with friends at night in Boston” or “fun (autumn) activities in Seattle”.
Past versions of the Google Maps app respond to such queries with more generic results that are not as accurate.
In the past, it displayed a wide range of tourist attractions in Boston including some that are closed at night, whereas the updated app will show more tailored options like a list of speakeasies or live music venues.
Gemini can better understand context like the time of day or season, said Ms Miriam Daniel, a vice-president in charge of consumer experiences for Google Maps, at a press event on Oct 30.
“It’s not just, ‘What’s near me?‘ It’s actually, ‘What can I do tonight?’” she said.
Similar to AI Overviews, the AI-generated summaries in Google’s search tool, the new results in Google Maps will not replace existing location listings, but rather be displayed above or below them.
Consumers can also ask Gemini questions about a specific place and the software will analyse existing user reviews to answer the question.
The company has come under fire for inaccurate AI search results, including biased responses and a pizza recipe that listed glue as an ingredient.
To avoid such problems, known as hallucinations, with Google Maps, responses from Gemini are cross-referenced against real-world data that Google has collected.
Google also revealed on Oct 31 new AI capabilities in other tools like Google Earth and vehicle navigation app Waze.
They include chatbots to help developers and urban planners to analyse map and geographic data more quickly, and a feature in Waze that allows drivers to report road incidents by voice. REUTERS
