Google is adding a slew of new updates for Maps, including a few AI-powered features that are designed to make it easier for users to search, explore their surroundings and get to their destinations. The company is making it easier to find specific items near you and find inspiration for things to do, rolling out navigation interface updates, giving EV drivers more information about chargers, expanding previously-announced features to more cities and more.
The tech giant is updating Search in Maps to make it easier to find specific things near you. Now, when you search for something like “animal latte art,” you will find photo results of what you are looking for. The results that are shown to you are based on the analysis of photos shared by users on Google Maps thanks to AI and advanced image recognition models. By showing you these images, Google wants to make it easier for you to discover new spots that carry exactly what you’re looking for. In this scenario, if you see an image of cute animal latte art that you like, you can click on it to learn more about the coffee shop that offers it and then navigate to it.