MUMBAI: Google Maps is no longer just telling users where to go; it is beginning to help them get things done when they get there. Google has expanded its AI-powered Ask Maps feature with agentic capabilities that can handle tasks such as ordering takeaway, finding hotels and discovering events through conversational prompts.
The update uses Google’s Gemini AI models alongside real-time mapping data, allowing Ask Maps to handle multi-step requests rather than simply returning location-based answers or recommendations.
In the US, users can ask Ask Maps to order food from participating restaurants along their route. The AI can factor in saved preferences, including favourite restaurants and dietary requirements, select items and add them directly to a shopping cart.
The food-ordering capability launches with integrations from Square and Toast, while Uber Eats support is expected to follow.
Hotel discovery is also getting an AI makeover. Users can describe what they want in natural language, including their budget, preferred hotel type and nearby amenities. Ask Maps can then compare live room availability and prices before presenting relevant options.
For those looking for something to do rather than somewhere to stay, the feature can recommend attractions, concerts, comedy shows and other events nearby, while providing links to purchase tickets.
Google is also widening Ask Maps’ geographical footprint. The feature is expanding to Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Japan and Mexico, adding to its existing availability in more than 150 countries and territories in English.
Across supported markets, Google said users will have access to live transit information, personalised recommendations and conversation history. More advanced agentic capabilities will initially launch in the US before expanding to other markets.
The feature is also becoming more personal through Gmail. Users can choose to connect Ask Maps to Gmail, allowing it to use information such as flight confirmations and hotel bookings when generating travel recommendations.
Google plans to add Calendar integration as well, enabling Ask Maps to take upcoming schedules into account when helping users plan journeys.
Transit is getting a real-time upgrade too. A new virtual departure board will provide information on buses, trains, metro services and ferries, with departure times automatically adjusting when delays occur.
Google is also turning its Maps community into a more conversational source of local updates. Users will be able to submit information through natural-language interactions or upload photographs of storefronts. The AI can then extract details such as updated opening hours and parking information from those images.
The broader shift is clear: Ask Maps is moving from a feature that answers “where?” to one that increasingly handles the “what next?” For Google, Maps is becoming less of a digital atlas and more of an AI-powered local assistant that can search, compare and eventually act on a user’s behalf.