Google Maps adds Gemini AI features, including in‑app food ordering

Google has begun rolling out Gemini, its generative‑AI model, inside Google Maps. The upgrade turns the navigation app into a conversational assistant that can answer natural‑language queries, predict traffic jams in real time and suggest optimal routes that balance speed, fuel use and toll costs. It also provides immersive 3D guidance, lane‑level instructions and automatic suggestions for rest‑area stops.

Developers have uncovered code in recent Android beta builds that references a new function to place food orders directly from Maps. The feature, linked to the Ask Maps Gemini interface, would let users select a restaurant, choose items and confirm a purchase by voice, with the order ready for pickup when they arrive. Similar hints have been found in versions released in the United Arab Emirates, India, Italy, Spain, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Argentina and China, indicating a global rollout in testing phases.

If launched, the integration would extend Google’s AI‑agent strategy, letting Maps move beyond location search to execute transactions on behalf of users, a step that could reshape local commerce and strengthen Google’s position in the mobile‑first marketplace.