Google Maps Now Orders Food and Plans Trips on Its Own
Ask Maps gets 'agentic' capabilities, instead of just showing locations, Gemini models now carry out concrete tasks. Croatian users will have to wait for full functionality.
Ask Maps gets 'agentic' capabilities, instead of just showing locations, Gemini models now carry out concrete tasks. Croatian users will have to wait for full functionality.
On Wednesday, Google Maps unveiled a radical shift in its role. The app, long synonymous with navigation, is now evolving into a fully personal digital assistant, thanks to the expanded Ask Maps feature powered by advanced Gemini AI models.
The key novelty lies in what's called an "agentic" approach. Users no longer have to run multiple separate searches and manually connect the dots. The system now automatically takes into account where the user is, which direction they're heading, when nearby businesses are open, and what their preferences are, delivering complete solutions based on all of that.
A concrete example is food ordering. Ask Maps can pick a meal and add it to the cart via partner platforms Square and Toast, with a collaboration with Uber Eats expected soon. What sets Gemini apart from typical chatbots is that it doesn't stop at providing information, it takes real actions in the physical world, with final confirmation and payment handled by the user.
Beyond food orders, the tool significantly simplifies trip organization. Hotels can be filtered by very specific requirements, such as distance from fitness centers or particular restaurants, with real-time price and availability comparisons. A similar mechanism applies to nearby events, the AI suggests concerts or exhibitions and guides users straight to ticket purchases.
The biggest leap forward is the Personal Intelligence option. With explicit account owner permission, Ask Maps connects to Gmail and automatically reads flight or accommodation reservation details, incorporating them into its recommendations without any additional input. Integration with Google Calendar is also planned.
While it brings undeniable convenience, this kind of connection to personal data once again raises privacy concerns, as the AI gains insight into a much broader range of digital activities. That's why Gmail access is off by default and requires manual activation.
The new feature set also includes real-time public transit tracking, including delays for buses, trains, and ferries, available through a new interactive widget. Additionally, voice communication with Gemini is now enabled while driving, walking, or cycling on iOS and Android devices.
The entire system relies on a database of over 300 million locations and contributions from hundreds of millions of users. The AI summarizes reviews and uses recognizable landmarks as navigational waypoints.
The main limitation of the new tools is currently their geographic rollout. The most advanced agentic features are first arriving in the US market, then gradually expanding to Canada, Australia, and Japan. Users in Croatia and neighboring countries will have to wait a while longer for the full range of capabilities.
