Google Maps displays AI-powered review summaries in India

Google is adding new AI-powered features to Maps in India, including AI-powered summaries, the ability to search for experiences and weather alerts.

The maps app will analyze reviews and display summaries of locations, it said. The company made the announcement at its annual Google for India event on Thursday.

Additionally, users can search for items and experiences on maps – for example, search for “unique picnic spots” or “themed birthday cakes” to find cake vendors.

When people ask questions like these, Google Maps displays a picture-first experience that prioritizes showing photos that businesses and users have uploaded, the company said.

Google used image recognition to assign labels or descriptions of places to such search queries.

The company also said that while navigating, users will see new weather alerts for areas with poor visibility due to fog and flooded roads.

The package of new features will be rolled out to users in India starting later this month. AI-powered review summaries launched on Maps in the US back in February. Google’s competitor Yelp also shows summaries of companies in its revised feed in the USA

In July, Google added a number of India-specific features to Maps, including better navigation guidance, better navigation on overpasses (overpasses) and narrow streets, electric vehicle charging stations, and community-provided location recognition lists in select cities.