Google is always looking into new ways to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into their products and apps. The company has begun rolling out multiple new features and experiences in Google Maps that have been made possible by AI, such as providing the most fuel-efficient routes, more information about the weather and air quality, Live View for indoor locations and more.
Thanks to the advancements they achieved in AI, Google is bringing a version of their outdoors Live View to the indoors now. In locations such as airports, transit stations and malls, Live View can now help users find the nearest elevator and escalators, platform, ticket office, restrooms, ATMs and more. It will show arrows and accompanying directions to point users in the right way, similar to when navigating outdoors.
The feature is first rolling out now to malls in Chicago, Long Island, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle. In the coming months, it will roll out to airports, malls, and transit stations in Tokyo and Zurich, and more cities later.
Rolling out globally to all users, Maps will now use data from the Weather Company, AirNow.gov and the Central Pollution Board to provide users with better weather information for an area, including current and forecasted temperature.
More air quality information will also be shown, which can be especially useful for users with allergies and for users living in a smoggy or fire-prone area. This feature is coming to Australia, U.S.A. and India, and later will come to more countries.
When searching for directions and routes, if there are multiple routes with approximately the same ETA, Google Maps will now calculate the route with the lowest carbon footprint and suggest it instead of simply showing the fastest route. If an eco-friendly route significantly increases the ETA, Google will show users a comparison between the routes and let the users choose.
Maps will also inform users if their particular route goes through a low emission zone, where certain vehicles are restricted. This feature is rolling out to Germany, the Netherlands, France, Spain, and the UK, and later will come out to more countries.
When traveling to a location within a city, Google Maps will soon show a comprehensive view of all routes and transportation modes available. This will help users quickly compare different routes to their destination and make an informed decision. It will be rolling out to both iOS and Android users globally in the coming months.
And lastly, for select stores in the U.S., Business Profiles in Maps and Search will now show extra information such as delivery providers, pickup and delivery windows, fees, and order minimums.
Google Maps is available for download on the Play Store for Android and App Store for iOS.