Google has expanded its Ask Maps feature, which integrates Gemini AI capabilities into Google Maps, to Malaysia and more than 160 additional countries and territories, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico and New Zealand.
Ask Maps Gives Google Maps Agentic AI Powers
According to Google, Ask Maps now includes agentic AI capabilities that allow it to handle multi-step tasks. For example, users can ask Ask Maps to order specific food items for pickup along their route, with the feature identifying open restaurants that match dietary preferences or saved locations and adding selected items directly to a cart for review. This functionality is supported through partnerships with Square, Toast and Uber Eats, as part of ongoing development of the Universal Commerce Protocol for Food.
Ask Maps can also assist with finding hotels and local events based on specific criteria, such as price range, ratings or proximity to certain amenities, by comparing real-time pricing and availability. The feature can additionally surface nearby events, including concerts and comedy shows, along with ticket purchase links.
Google said Ask Maps now includes a live transit board that updates automatically, providing information such as ferry schedules and delay alerts. For drivers, the feature can provide information on real-time disruptions along a route, including collisions or construction. Users can also ask Ask Maps how busy a location is at a given time to help plan visits.
The update also allows users to contribute map edits conversationally – users can update information such as business hours by selecting an option within Ask Maps or the Contribute tab, including by uploading a photo of a storefront sign, which the system will use to detect updated hours before confirming the submission with the user. (All suggested edits are still reviewed for accuracy and are subject to relevant policies, Google noted.) Users can also share informal tips about locations through the conversation UI.
Real-time information, personalized responses and conversation memory in Ask Maps are rolling out globally wherever the feature is available; food ordering, hotel and event discovery, and conversational contribution features are currently rolling out in the United States, with availability in additional countries expected over time.
Pokdepinion: Sounds good on paper, but whether it works in practice remains to be seen.
