Google Maps wants to be your new AI travel buddy with Gemini AI integration

Google Maps is evolving into something far beyond a map—it’s turning into your personal AI-powered travel companion, ready to guide you not only from point A to B but also to travel destinations, landmarks, and even the perfect dinner spot.

All this is thanks to Google’s latest integration of its Gemini AI model allowing Maps to soon offer personalized recommendations that make discovering new places as easy as getting directions.

Instead of typing generic search terms like “restaurant,” users can now ask conversational questions—like “fun things to do with friends at night in Boston”—and Gemini will respond with tailored suggestions.

The AI will generate a curated list complete with ratings, photos, videos, and even a summary of user reviews, providing a quick snapshot to help you decide. The days of scrolling through endless options are over; now, your ideal plans are just a question away.

And if that’s not impressive enough, Google is taking it further with the new “Immersive View.” This feature lets you explore a location in vivid detail before you even set foot there. Whether it’s a park or a campus, the Immersive View shows you what the area will look like at your chosen time and date, complete with weather and traffic updates. Covering over 150 cities worldwide, including destinations like Kyoto, Brussels, and Frankfurt, Immersive View offers a real-time virtual exploration that turns trip planning into an experience of its own.

Thanks to the update, navigation is also getting smarter, with clearer guidance on lane selection, crosswalks, and multi-lane intersections to help with complex manoeuvres—perfect for those high-stakes city drives or road trips in unfamiliar places.

Gemini’s influence doesn’t stop at Maps. Waze, Google Maps' sister map software is introducing “Conversational Reporting,” allowing drivers to use natural language to report hazards or delays. And over in Google Earth, urban planners can tap into Gemini’s data capabilities to speed up city planning processes, making it an invaluable tool for those designing our future cities.

The AI integration gives Google a significant advantage against competitors like Apple Maps. Although still a strong competitor, and has been incorporating AI into Maps to enhance features like navigation, search, and route optimization, it hasn't reached the level of personalized recommendations and immersive experiences that Google Maps promises with its Gemini AI integration.

Now used by over 2 billion people each month, this addition is set to solidify Google Maps' lead ahead of Apple's respectable 200 million monthly users, according to justinobeirne.com.