Google Maps adds AI features to order food, book hotels and personalize trip planning

Google Maps adds agentic features, including food ordering and hotel bookings

Google announced on Thursday that Google Maps' "Ask Maps" feature is gaining a slew of new agentic capabilities, including the ability to order food, book hotels, and find event tickets. The tech giant is also bringing Personal Intelligence to Ask Maps, allowing the AI tool to personalize its responses by drawing on information from a user's Gmail and Google Calendar. The launch of the new features reflects Google's ambitions to transform Google Maps from a navigation tool into an assistant that's capable of helping users complete real-world tasks. With the new agentic food ordering capabilities, users can open Ask Maps in Google Maps and ask a question like, "Where can I order vegan avocado toast and an oat milk latte near home?" The tool will then surface nearby restaurants that have what they're looking for. After selecting a restaurant, users can tap the "Order online" option to place an order through supported platforms such as Square, Toast, or Uber Eats. Ask Maps will add the items to a cart. Users can choose to add more items to their cart, then pay for the order on the supported platform. Additionally, users can use Ask Maps to find a hotel for their next trip by entering a query like, "For next weekend's conference in downtown Miami, find me a decently priced, top-rated hotel with an artsy vibe within walking distance from a gym and restaurants." Ask Maps will then compare prices and check availability before providing a list of options. Once users find an option they like, they can click through to the partner's website to book the stay. Users can also ask questions like "what are some comedy shows or live music this evening near work" to get a list of options along with links to buy tickets. The new agentic features are rolling out to users in the U.S. With the addition of Personal Intelligence, Ask Maps will be able to give users personalized answers to their questions about upcoming flights, dinner reservations, hotels, and more. For example, users could ask, "What time will I land in Vancouver on my upcoming flight?" or "Can you recommend where to eat and what to do near my hotel?" Ask Maps will then pull information from a user's emails and calendar to provide tailored responses. It's worth noting that Personal Intelligence is off by default. Ask Maps will now also remember prior conversations, allowing users to pick up where they left off. Now, users can ask things like, "What activities had you suggested for my trip to Seattle?" and continue planning without having to start from scratch. Google is also launching a live transit widget in Ask Maps that will allow users to stay up to date on delays and conditions as they change in real time. Personal Intelligence and the live transit widget in Ask Maps are rolling out to all markets where Ask Maps is available.

Google's Ask Maps Lets You Get More Done Conversationally, Thanks to AI - CNET

Blake has over a decade of experience writing for the web, with a focus on mobile phones, where he covered the smartphone boom of the 2010s and the broader tech scene.... Read full bio Google is making its Ask Maps feature significantly more useful with a series of new features that will allow you to get things done via conversation. Announced on Thursday, Ask Maps is now capable of taking on agentic, multistep tasks that would normally require manual research and extra time on your part. Ask Maps was introduced earlier this year with some modest features that let you ask more conversationally for locations without being so rigid in your search. It's now getting a suite of new capabilities powered by Gemini. For example, you could use Ask Maps to find a well-lit tennis court for playing in the evening, but the new enhancements make it even smarter. Agentic AI, or AI that can perform tasks on your behalf, has been one of Google's top priorities, as seen in some of the new features like Gemini Intelligence, which will be found in the next Pixel devices running Android 17 and the upcoming release of its new laptop lineup, Googlebooks. In addition to the new features, Google is expanding Ask Maps to more countries. It's now available in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Japan and Mexico, along with 150 additional territories, starting today. While some of the new features are currently available in the US only, others are available in all locations where Ask Maps is supported. Here's what's coming to Ask Maps. Agentic food ordering You can now use Ask Maps to order food for you without ever having to look at a menu. For instance, you can now just ask it where to find avocado toast and an oat milk latte, and Ask Maps will get to work. Since it already knows your location, it'll begin searching for restaurants that carry the items you're looking for and allow you to choose where to order from. Once selected, it'll find and add those items to your cart, then let you check out with just a few taps. Google has partnered with Toast for this new agentic ordering experience, with UberEats to follow in the future. Find a hotel Like ordering food, Ask Maps can now also take the heavy lifting out of your hotel search. All you need to do is say what type of hotel you're looking for, the location and which amenities you want, and Maps will provide you with a list of all hotels that fit your criteria. Find things to do If you're just looking for something fun to do, Ask Maps has you covered here as well. In a live demo, someone asked to find either comedy shows or live music next to where they work. Assuming you've set your work location in Google Maps, it has this information to search your specified area without needing a specific address and can provide you with a list of activities that you may want to do and order tickets right from there. Personal Intelligence If you allow it, Maps can now access your information, so you don't have to go back to your Gmail app just to hunt down a specific email for a reservation in Maps. The feature is off by default, but it can pull in relevant information to your conversation with Ask Maps. It's available starting on Thursday with Gmail, and support for Google Calendar will be available at a later date. Ask Maps remembers old conversations Ask Maps will now remember your previous conversations, which could be helpful to recall places you've researched before. So if you had Ask Maps pull up a specific restaurant you were researching and you need to try to find it again, you can just ask what restaurants it had suggested to you in the past. It will scour those older conversations and provide you with a list so you don't have to manually go searching for it yourself. Google says this feature was built with privacy in mind, and you'll need to have your history settings enabled for the feature to work. Contribute to Maps conversationally If you notice that a store's hours are incorrect or an establishment is now permanently closed, it's now easier than ever to submit these changes to Google Maps without having to go the typical manual route. Now, you can just pull up Ask Maps and tell it the changes that should be made right in the chat. As per standard protocols, Ask Maps will submit your contributions for review and approval, which can take a couple of days for the changes to appear in Maps.

You can now ask Google Maps' AI to order food for you

The AI-powered "Ask Maps" tool in Google Maps can now perform a broader range of personalized and conversational requests, including ordering food, finding hotels, and providing suggestions that factor in your existing plans. These are among several new features announced for Ask Maps today, which aim to "make it easier than ever to get more done" without having to close the Google Maps app, according to Google Maps head, Miriam Daniel. New agentic capabilities include asking Maps to order you food while considering contextual information like specific dietary needs, location, and places you've saved. For example, Google says you can ask it to "order spicy pad kee mao with seafood for me to pick up on my way home" before leaving work, and Ask Maps will find open restaurants along your route back that serve that meal. When you select a restaurant, Ask Maps can automatically add the dish to your cart so you can complete the order. Food ordering is rolling out with partners like Square and Toast now, according to Google, with Uber Eats support coming soon. Ask Maps can now find hotels and local events that suit your specific requirements, such as having a particular aesthetic or being within walking distance of gyms, restaurants, and other facilities. Maps also now allows you to contribute and edit location information conversationally via Ask Maps or the Contribute tab. This includes uploading photographs like storefront signs that Maps will automatically extract information from, such as updated opening hours, before asking you to confirm the suggestion before it's submitted. Food ordering, discovering hotels and events, and conversational contributions are rolling out now in the US, with more countries to come over time. Google Maps has started adding Personal Intelligence too -- a Gemini-powered feature that personalizes AI responses by connecting to data from other Google apps. This enables the Ask Maps tool to automatically consider existing plans like upcoming flights or dinner reservations when responding to your requests. Personal Intelligence can connect Ask Maps to your Gmail to start (which is disabled by default, according to Google), with support for other apps like Calendar coming soon. Lastly, real-time transit information has also been added to the Ask Maps feature, allowing you to check live updates for any delays to your next bus, train, subway, or ferry ride. The live transit widget and more personalized responses are rolling out now to everywhere Ask Maps is available -- which as of today, has been expanded to include Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Japan and Mexico.

Hungry Before a Trip? Gemini in Google Maps Can Order Food, Find Hotels for You

When Google Maps launched its Ask Maps feature earlier this year, it was just a Gemini chatbot that could answer questions about your trips. Now, it is getting more useful, with agentic capabilities to place food orders, find nearby hotels, and provide personalized responses. The most notable upgrade is the ability to place food orders. If you're hungry before a trip, you can now tap the Ask Maps button on the top left of the homepage and provide the chatbot with a prompt to order a meal you can pick up on the way. You could, for example, ask it to "order spicy pad kee mao with seafood for me to pick up on my way home," Google says, and the feature will respond with a list of restaurants. If you have any dietary preferences or saved places, Ask Maps will take those into consideration. Once you select a restaurant, Ask Maps will automatically add your preferred item to the cart; you can then verify and complete the order. Food ordering in Ask Maps will be supported by Square and Toast at launch, with Uber Eats expected to follow soon. Google is also upgrading the feature to help you find hotels and local events, including concerts and comedy shows. Once you drop a prompt for that, Ask Maps will check real-time prices and availability before showing you a list of relevant options. If you have enabled Personal Intelligence, Ask Maps can tap into your Gmail inbox to find hotel or flight bookings and provide recommendations based on your itinerary. Additionally, if you have your Google activity history enabled, Ask Maps will remember past conversations and help pick up where you left off. Both are optional features, and you can enable or disable them whenever you'd like. To check your chat history with Ask Maps, just tap the clock-like icon on the top right. Improved Real-Time Transit Information Google is also adding two features to improve real-time information on Google Maps. You can already use Ask Maps to know how busy your daily route, a shop, or a restaurant is before you head out. With today's update, you can now ask the feature to provide the same information about a bus, train, subway, or ferry ride you're about to take. A new widget within the Ask Maps interface will then show you a departure board with information about "up-to-the-minute delays" or other conditions, Google says. A sample prompt provided by the company goes: "Is there a ferry to get to Taronga Zoo with views of the Opera House?" Additionally, Google is seeking your help to keep Google Maps' knowledge base up to date. With Ask Maps, you can chat with the AI and provide information about places, such as whether a location has more parking spaces or if something has changed there. Google will then verify the information before making it available to other users. All of these updates are rolling out to users in the US starting today and will become available in other countries over time, Google says.

Google Maps Adds Agentic Feature That Orders Food and Books Hotels for You

Google Maps will now be able to order food, buy event tickets, book hotels, and give even more personalized recommendations, the tech giant announced on Thursday. Google embedded its AI chatbot into Maps back in March in a conversational feature it's calling "Ask Maps." Now, the conversational assistant will also be able to "handle complex, multi-step tasks for you using new agentic capabilities," Google announced in a blog post. For example, if you want to order food to pick up on your way home from the office or if you're craving a specific dish and don't know where to get it near your location, Google wants you to let Maps handle (some of) that instead. "It'll find open restaurants along your route that serve what you're craving and can even consider things like your saved places or specific dietary needs," Google Maps chief Miriam Daniel said in the blog post. "Once you select a restaurant, Ask Maps can automatically add the dish you're looking for directly to your cart so you can easily review and complete your order." So it sounds like the agentic feature automates some of the steps of finding a restaurant and ordering food, but not the whole thing, as you still need to select from Maps' shortlist and complete the order. The food ordering feature will rely on partnerships with food industry payment processing platforms Square and Toast at first launch, and will later include Uber Eats. For the events booking feature, users will be able to ask Maps to pull up a list of nearby events such as comedy shows or concerts, and the agentic assistant will provide links for tickets. For the hotels feature, users can ask for a list of hotels that fit specific requirements, like price range, location, amenities, or even just vibes, and Ask Maps will check availability and give a rundown of options. Along with the agentic assistants, Google is also expanding the reach of Personal Intelligence, its AI-driven hyperpersonalization bet. The new feature will be off by default, but if you choose to, you can allow Ask Maps to connect to your Gmail or Google Calendar accounts, giving the tool access to your entire schedule. If you decide you are okay with that level of information sharing, then Maps can use your email correspondence to give personalized information, such as where to grab a bite before your flight and tips for getting to the airport on time. If your history settings are turned on, Ask Maps will also remember every conversation you have, meaning that users will be able to return to old conversations and "pick up where you left off," as Google puts it. Google Maps is only the latest Google platform to get a full agentic makeover. The tech giant has long been interested in infusing artificial intelligence capabilities into possibly every single product it offers. Google is heavily banking on user demand for AI-driven hyperpersonalization and agentic assistants meant to automate most digital tasks, a bet that has included integrating agentic AI in its flagship product, Google Search. The new agentic Google Maps features are only debuting in the United States for now, but the Personal Intelligence update will be available everywhere that has access to Ask Maps, a list that as of Thursday will expand to include Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, and Mexico.

Google Maps can now order your food, book your hotel, and read your calendar. Ask Maps just became an agent.

Google Maps' Ask Maps gains agentic features: food ordering, hotel booking, event tickets. Personal Intelligence connects Gmail and Calendar for personalised answers. Rolling out in the US. Google Maps is no longer just giving directions. The company announced on Thursday that Ask Maps, the Gemini-powered conversational feature it launched in March, is gaining agentic capabilities that let it order food, book hotels, and find event tickets. Users can describe what they want in natural language, and Ask Maps will surface options, populate a cart, and hand off payment to partner platforms including Uber Eats, Toast, and Square. The hotel booking flow works similarly. A user can type something like "find me a top-rated hotel with an artsy vibe near a gym in downtown Miami for next weekend," and Ask Maps will compare prices and check availability before presenting options. Users click through to a partner's website to complete the booking. Event discovery follows the same pattern: ask about comedy shows or live music nearby and Ask Maps returns options with links to buy tickets. The new agentic features are rolling out in the US. The more significant addition is Personal Intelligence, which connects Ask Maps to a user's Gmail and Google Calendar. With permission, the feature can reference flight details, dinner reservations, or conference schedules sitting in a user's inbox to provide tailored recommendations without the user spelling out every detail. It is off by default. Ask Maps will also now remember prior conversations, so users can pick up trip planning where they left off. A live transit widget that tracks delays in real time is also rolling out. The update is the clearest example yet of Google turning its products into agents that complete tasks rather than just answer questions. At I/O in May, Google replaced the search box with AI agents that monitor the web, build custom tools, and act on a user's behalf. Ask Maps is now doing the same thing inside a navigation app used by over a billion people monthly. The question is whether users will trust a map to order their lunch, and whether the restaurants, hotels, and ticketing platforms on the other end of those handoffs will see it as distribution or disintermediation.

Ask Maps in Google Maps rolling out Personal Intelligence, real-time transit, global launch

After rolling out in March, the Gemini-powered Ask Maps chat in Google Maps is getting a number of big updates today, including a global launch. After the US launch, Ask Maps -- find it underneath the search bar -- is rolling out in English to "Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, and Mexico, along with over 150 countries and territories." Ask Maps can now tap into Personal Intelligence, like the Gemini app and AI Mode. The first integration is Gmail, with Ask Maps now able to factor "your upcoming flight or dinner reservations, giving you relevant suggestions without you having to explain your existing plans." For example, if you're traveling, try asking: "Give me ideas on how to spend a few hours near the hotel before my flight tomorrow." You'll see nearby recommendations based on your hotel reservation in Gmail -- along with tips for getting to the airport afterwards, like what time to leave. You have to manually enable Personal Intelligence in Ask Maps, with support for Google Calendar and other apps coming soon. Meanwhile, Ask Maps now remembers past conversations to easily continue them if History settings are enabled. Simply ask, "Remind me, what activities did you suggest for my trip to Seattle?" Maps will instantly pull up your previous ideas so you don't have to start planning from scratch. In addition to traffic, Ask Maps can now tap into real-time transit information for buses, trains, subways, and ferries: "Is there a ferry to get to Taronga Zoo with views of the Opera House?" This "virtual departure board" in the chat will update in real time if there are any delays. These three features are rolling out "everywhere Ask Maps is available." New agentic capabilities allow Ask Maps to accomplish complex, multi-step tasks, like ordering food. An example prompt is "order spicy pad kee mao with seafood for me to pick up on my way home" (from work). Google will find open restaurants along your route, factor in saved places, and account for dietary needs. After you select a place, Ask Maps will place the required dish in your cart for you to finalize. Ask Maps supports Square and Toast at launch, with Uber Eats support "coming soon." There's also support for booking hotels (with Ask Maps comparing prices and availability) and finding local events. "For next week's conference in downtown Miami, find me a decently priced, top-rated hotel with an artsy vibe, within walking distance from a gym and restaurants. Ask Maps in the Contribute tab now lets you conversationally suggest edits, like "more parking is available behind the building." You can even upload a photo of a storefront sign -- Maps will detect the new hours from the image, and ask you to confirm before submitting the suggestion for you. Food ordering, hotel and event discovery, and conversational contributions are rolling out now in the US.

Google Maps just got a major AI upgrade -- these 7 Ask Maps prompts let you order food, find events and more

Tap into Ask Maps' new Personal Intelligence-powered features Google Maps has gotten its fair share of upgrades in recent months, including the integration of a Gemini-powered conversational feature called Ask Maps. Since its addition to the platform in March, Ask Maps has proven to be a nifty feature that lets users make a bevy of requests. Asking for directions to a place to charge your dying phone, looking for directions to a public tennis court that's lit up at night and planning to hit up recommended hot spots during a trip are just some of the instances where vocal prompts push Ask Maps to be your best digital guide. As we all know, Google never rests on its laurels when it comes to its apps. And now, a massive update to Google Maps' Ask Maps feature pushes it to perform more complex tasks. And not only are those features now available on the app in the US, but they'll also be coming to Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, and Mexico, along with over 150 countries and territories in English. With this newly released Ask Maps update in mind, here are seven prompts you can try out to take advantage of it and push Google Maps' AI integration to its full potential. Ask Maps is even smarter and ready to fulfill your more complex tasks Google Maps' Ask Maps tool is now capable of fulfilling the sort of complex tasks that require a few extra steps to carry out. Now it has no problem listening to you or reading what you type out when you're ready to order takeout and find new places to eat along your route. It can even produce more personalized responses by remembering your saved places and specific dietary needs when searching for the next restaurant you might consider ordering from. This food ordering feature is rolling out now -- it lets you order your next meal through partners such as Toast and Square, with Uber Eats set to get added to that group in the future. Besides Ask Maps' new food ordering features, it can also help you find the latest information about hotels by comparing real-time prices and checking room availability. Plus, you can tap into this AI-powered feature to ask for ideas on events that you should attend nearby. Not only will Ask Maps suggest several events worth checking out in your vicinity, but it will also include links to tickets. Now that Personal Intelligence has become an essential part of Google Maps, you can safely connect Ask Maps to your Gmail account. Ask Maps makes great use of this new integration by using the information inside your inbox about upcoming flight, hotel or dinner reservations to give you relevant recommendations about how you should spend your time near your upcoming location. By turning the history settings on in Google Maps, Ask Maps has an easier time bringing up past conversations. That way, you can ask it to remind you of past chats so it can pull up past recreational ideas for you to choose from. Real-time transition information, plus user-created text, conversational & photo edits that can be provided & accessed from Ask Maps' Contribute tab also come along with Ask Maps latest update. If you're looking to see just how much more serviceable Ask Maps' new features are, feel free to try out any of the prompts listed below: * Order [name of food] for me to pick up on my way home. * Find a highly-rated vegan place along my route to work and order a breakfast burrito for pickup. * Find modern art museums near me that are open past [time] today. * Are there any comedy shows happening near my location tonight with tickets still available? * Give me ideas on how to spend a few hours near the hotel before my flight tomorrow. * Find a great spot for coffee between my current location and my dinner reservation tonight. * Remind me: what activities did you suggest for my trip to [location]? Bottom line Walking around and driving around with Google Maps' Ask Maps feature at the ready is an even more essential use of GPS and AI. And with the debut of a live transit widget, more personalized answers to user requests, stronger memory, food ordering, hotel/event discovery and user contributions, Google's nifty location tool is even more crucial for your traveling needs. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Subscribe to Tom's Guide on YouTube and follow us on TikTok.

Google Maps is getting dangerously good at planning your day

Google Maps has spent nearly two decades helping people get from point A to point B. But if Google's latest update is any indication, simply giving directions is no longer enough. The company now wants Maps to help you plan your day, make decisions, and even take care of some of the busywork that usually comes after you've found what you're looking for. Today, Google announced a major expansion of Ask Maps, its AI-powered search experience inside Google Maps. The feature is gaining a collection of agentic tools that can help you order meals, search for hotels, and discover local events with tickets available for purchase. At the same time, Google is introducing Personal Intelligence, allowing Ask Maps to tailor recommendations using information from Gmail and Google Calendar, provided users choose to connect those services. Maps is starting to do the work for you Finding a restaurant has never been difficult in Google Maps. Deciding what to eat, figuring out whether the place serves exactly what you're craving, and then ordering it is where the process usually becomes fragmented. Google is trying to eliminate those extra steps. Instead of searching restaurant by restaurant, you can now describe what you're in the mood for in everyday language. Ask Maps can surface matching places nearby, and once a restaurant is selected, it can hand off the order through supported services such as Uber Eats, Toast, and Square. The AI can even populate the cart before you complete payment on the partner platform. The same conversational approach now extends to travel planning. Rather than scrolling through pages of hotel listings and manually applying filters, you can describe the stay you want -- whether that's an affordable hotel close to restaurants, a conference venue, or a nearby gym. Ask Maps then compares availability and pricing before presenting booking options through participating travel partners. Your calendar should soon shape your recommendations The more interesting addition may be Personal Intelligence, which gives Ask Maps extra context about what you're trying to accomplish. With permission, the feature can reference details from Gmail and Google Calendar to provide recommendations that better fit your plans. If you have a conference on your calendar or travel details sitting in your inbox, Ask Maps can use that information to deliver more relevant hotel suggestions without requiring you to spell out every detail yourself. Google is also extending the experience to entertainment. Users can ask about nearby comedy performances, concerts, or other live events happening that evening, and Ask Maps will return options along with links to purchase tickets. The new capabilities are rolling out to users in the US, and they reflect a broader shift in how Google sees Maps fitting into everyday life.

Google Maps Has Launched 'Agentic Food Ordering,' but Don't Get Too Excited

While it's a taste of an agentic Google Maps, it doesn't really seem to be all that useful, at least based on the description. As one of the biggest tech companies in the world, Google is putting its AI features and platforms into each and every one of its products. As such, it's no surprise that its wildly popular navigation app, Google Maps, is getting the same treatment. While it's easy to use the app without encountering much AI, if you so choose, you can use Google's latest AI features to find new restaurants, accommodations, or hot spots in your area. And now, Google is boasting that it is launching new "agentic" features that will even allow the app to order food for you -- sort of. Ask Maps gets an agentic upgrade Back in March, the company rolled out "Ask Maps," a chatbot-like interface in Google Maps that taps into Gemini to help you find relevant places on the map. For example, Google says you can "Ask Maps" to find you a restaurant with availability for six at a specific date and time, keeping in mind strict dietary requirements. It's about what you'd expect from the combination of Gemini and Google Maps: You "chat" with the map to find what you need. Now, Google is expanding on these features, introducing new agentic options to reduce the work you actually have to do to pick up lunch (if not by all that much). Starting today, Google says Ask Maps can handle "complex, multi-step tasks," including functions it can handle on your behalf, and the flagship feature is ordering food for you -- or, at least, starting an order. Ask Maps can't actually order food for you Google says you can launch Ask Maps and type something like "order spicy pad kee mao with seafood for me to pick up on my way home." While you might think such a feature would handle the entire request for you, Ask Maps doesn't quite get there. It will, according to Google, look for open restaurants on your route home, and it can even take into consideration your previous orders and dietary needs. But once it floats options, you still need to choose the restaurant you want to order from. Once you do, the agentic features kick in: Google says that Ask Maps will remember your original request and will begin adding the appropriate items to your cart through services like Square and Toast (with Uber Eats support coming soon). However, Ask Maps won't actually order the food for you. You still need to manually review what's been placed in your cart and approve the order before the restaurant will receive it. Other agentic features in Ask Maps As part of this Ask Maps update, you can also ask about hotels and local events. Google suggests asking the feature something like "For next week's conference in downtown Miami, find me a decently priced, top-rated hotel with an artsy vibe, within walking distance from a gym and restaurants." That's certainly a complex request, and, according to Google, Ask Maps will be able to compare prices and availability to find an appropriate hotel. The same goes for things like concerts and comedy shows: Ask Maps will surface results based on your request, but you'll need to click through to actually buy tickets yourself. This isn't yet the agentic future we were promised I don't have these options on my Google Maps app yet, so I can't personally attest to how well they work, but I'm not sure I'm seeing the vision here. Companies like Google have been promising that agentic features will save us time and rescue us from having to perform tedious or menial tasks. And while this feature does save the 30 seconds or so it takes to building a restaurant order, that's about all it does. Not only do you still have to intervene in multiple aspects of the process (including the actual ordering of the food), it seems like the whole ordeal takes longer than it should. In my view, heading to the restaurant's site, building the order myself, then placing the order (as I'd have to do anyway) is likely more efficient than asking Google's AI to find a restaurant with a specific dish, have it build the order, then have me review it. Maybe I'll feel differently once I can try it out, and maybe this is just one step into a future where you really can have Google Maps complete a whole order for you. But I'm not sure I'd ever want it to, especially when dealing with ordering multiple items for various people with potential dietary restrictions. Not only would it likely be faster to do it myself, but I'm not sure I'd trust an AI with all those complications. The last thing anyone needs is for an AI to hallucinate and forget to order something with an allergy label. Other new Ask Maps features This update also incorporates Google's "Personal Intelligence," which pulls info from your various Google apps to return more personalized results. As such, you could Ask Maps to find you things to do before your afternoon flight. Google Maps should be able to access Gmail and Google Calendar, where it should find that flight's time and location, in order to fulfill your request with more individualized results than a simple search would. This feature is off by default. There's also a new live data widget for transit instructions, so you can keep tabs on public transit information in real time. You can also suggest Google Maps edits conversationally through Ask Maps, including adding photo attachments.

Hey Google Maps, Order Me Some Chicken Tacos

Google Maps is getting a dose of Personal Intelligence and more useful AI features, all courtesy of Gemini and Google's unrelenting vision to bring agentic experiences to many of its apps and services. The Google Maps team announced a few new features this week. For example, you can utilize the Ask Maps feature to find you your favorite food dish, add it to your cart, and checkout all from within Google Maps. Google is partnering with Square and Toast to make this happen, but support for Uber Eats is also coming soon. Ask Maps also has the ability to access local information, such as hotel and local event details. As an example, you can say, "For next week's conference in downtown Miami, find me a decently priced, top-rated hotel with an artsy vibe, within walking distance from a gym and restaurants." The feature can then pull real-time pricing information for hotels, as well as check reviews to find exactly what you're looking for. Personal Intelligence can access things like Gmail to provide highly contextual recommendations, too. When enabled in your account, Google says you can try saying, "Give me ideas on how to spend a few hours near the hotel before my flight tomorrow." You'll be met with recommendations based on your hotel reservation in Gmail, along with tips for getting to the airport afterwards, such as what time to leave. The Personal Intelligence features are turned off by default, so if interested, you'll need to enable. For full details on everything that's new inside of Ask Maps, follow the link below.

Google Maps Can Now Handle Your Dinner and Hotel Bookings

Google Maps is turning into more than a navigation app. The company announced new AI features this week. Maps can now order takeout, book hotels, and find event tickets, all without leaving the app. The new powers are built into "Ask Maps," the conversational AI tool Google added to Maps back in March. It used to just answer questions about nearby places. Now it can handle several steps of a task on your behalf, the kind of back-and-forth that used to mean switching between several different apps. What Ask Maps can do for you Ask something like "where can I order a vegan burrito near home." Ask Maps will find restaurants that match, then let you add items to a cart and check out through the restaurant's ordering platform. Google Maps chief Miriam Daniel said the tool can factor in your saved places and dietary preferences. Food ordering works through Square and Toast at launch, with Uber Eats support coming soon. The tool also handles trip planning. Ask for a hotel near a conference with a gym and restaurants within walking distance. Ask Maps will compare prices and check availability, then hand you a shortlist. The same goes for finding a comedy show or concert nearby. Ask Maps pulls up events and gives you a direct link to buy tickets. Ask Maps can also remember past conversations if your history settings are on. That means you can pick up trip planning where you left off instead of starting over. Your Gmail and Calendar can plug in too Google is also expanding a feature called Personal Intelligence. It lets Ask Maps connect to your Gmail and Google Calendar for more personalized answers. If you turn it on, you could ask something like "what time do I land in Denver." Maps would pull the answer straight from your flight confirmation email. This feature is off by default. Nothing gets connected unless you choose to turn it on in settings. The food ordering, hotel booking, and event ticket features are rolling out in the U.S. now. Personal Intelligence and a new live transit widget are expanding to more than 150 countries and territories. That list includes Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, and Mexico. If you don't see the new options in your app yet, they should show up soon.

Google Maps' AI-Powered Ask Maps Gets Smarter in India With New Features

New agentic features like food ordering remain limited to the US Google on Thursday announced a fresh set of updates for Ask Maps. The new features expand upon the capabilities of the Gemini-powered natural language query tool, which was first introduced in Maps in March. Calling it the biggest overhaul to Google Maps in over a decade, Ask Maps can now respond to users in Hindi, receive real-time public transit information, and use Personal Intelligence for more personalised recommendations. Google claims to also remember previous conversations, which allows users to continue planning trips without starting afresh. Google Ask Maps Update In a blog post, Google said that its conversational AI feature in Maps gets support for the Hindi language. Alongside English, people can ask questions, search for destinations, and receive recommendations in Hindi using natural language. The Mountain View-based tech giant is bringing Personal Intelligence to Ask Maps. Like Photos, Drive, and other Google apps, users can now connect their Gmail account to Maps, allowing the app to use information such as hotel bookings, flight details, and restaurant reservations to provide contextual recommendations. Citing an example, Google said that Ask Maps can suggest nearby attractions before a scheduled flight or recommend places to visit close to a booked hotel. The Gmail integration is disabled by default and has to be manually toggled. Another notable feature is conversational memory. If history settings are enabled, Ask Maps can remember previous chats. As per the company, this makes it easier for users to resume trip planning or revisit earlier recommendations. They can simply ask the AI to recall previously suggested activities or destinations instead of repeating prompts. Apart from this, live public transit information to Ask Maps in India. Following its arrival, users will be able to view real-time schedules, delays, route changes, and connecting options for buses, metro services, and trains directly within the conversational interface. This move is claimed to be able to help commuters make better-informed travel decisions by providing up-to-date transit information without multiple searches. Google says the new live transit experience, Personal Intelligence, and conversation memory are rolling out now in all regions where Ask Maps is available, including India. Meanwhile, additional agentic capabilities like food ordering, hotel discovery, and event recommendations are currently limited to the US.

Google Maps Brings Gemini-Powered Ask Maps Feature to India

The users can ask questions in detail, like where to find a restaurant for their family or a café that is appropriate for work. The response from Google Maps includes recommendations according to the questions asked by the users. India is among the first markets to receive the updated Ask Maps experience. The new feature will help the system figure out the needs of the user, even when the query is in conversational format. Rather than typing different search terms, one can just talk about the requirements. One can ask further questions to filter the search without initiating another search session. This is all according to Google, which is trying to make it easy for people to find locations. Ask Maps: Key Features * Natural Language Search: Ask questions in everyday language instead of using keywords. * Conversational Search: Continue the conversation with follow-up questions to refine results. * Personalized Recommendations: Discover personalized recommendations about restaurants, cafes, and other sites as per preference. * Contextual Responses: Contextual awareness of the query rather than mere recognition of keywords. * Gemini AI: The use of Google's Gemini AI for giving suggestions. * Recommendation on Maps: Recommendations appear on Google Maps itself. * Itinerary Planning: Create an itinerary for a day out in one search. * Available for Android and iOS Devices: For Google Maps users in India. * Discovery Within a Chat: Discover relevant places through one chat only.

How to use Ask Maps to order food, find hotels and get live transit updates

New AI features offer more personalised suggestions and easier trip planning. Google has recently added several new features to its Ask Maps feature in the Google Map. Now you can order food, search for hotels, discover nearby events and check live public transport updates without jumping between different apps. This will let you focus solely on the road and will eliminate distractions. Not only that, but Ask Maps can now also provide more personalised suggestions by using information from Gmail if you choose to connect it. In addition, it can remember past conversations and make it easier to share updates about places. Here is everything you need to know about the latest Ask Maps features and how you can use them. Things to know Before I walk you through the process of how to use the Ask Maps new features, here are some things that you need to keep in mind: * Food ordering, hotel discovery, event suggestions and conversational contributions are currently rolling out in the United States. * Live transit updates, conversation history and personalised responses are rolling out in regions where Ask Maps is available. * Connecting Gmail is optional and is turned off by default. * Ask Maps remembers previous conversations only if history settings are enabled. * Google reviews user-submitted edits before they appear on Maps. How to use Ask Maps to order food If you're looking to order food using Ask Map, then you can simply open Google Maps > launch Ask Maps > type or say your food request, including specifics like cuisine, spice level or dietary preferences > indicate where you wish to pick up your order > choose one of the proposed restaurants > review the cart and complete your order. Also read: You can make AI videos for free using Gemini Omni in India until August 12, here is how How to find hotels and nearby events Are you going on an unexpected trip and didn't have enough time to look for hotels? You need not worry any more, as Ask Map can help you find hotels and nearby events. Launch Google Maps > initiate Ask Maps > request a hotel based on your budget, location or vibe you like or ask about concerts or comedy or what's going on in the area > choose your preferred hotel or concert and book it. How to get live transit updates One of the new features included in Ask Maps is that you can now get live transit updates in Google Maps itself. To do so, open Google Maps > initiate Ask Maps > ask about your bus, train, subway or ferry route > view live departure times in one place > check delays that update in real time. Also read: AI can now design viruses that do not exist in nature: Here is why scientists are excited Other useful Ask Maps features Connect Gmail to receive suggestions based on hotel bookings or flight reservations. You can also continue earlier trip planning with saved conversations. Upload shopfront photos to suggest updated business hours and share local tips such as parking information to help other Google Maps users.