I said a while ago that I’d choose ChatGPT over Netflix if it ever came to cancelling one of the two. I’ve been using OpenAI’s chatbot consistently for about two years now, with the Plus subscription giving me access to most premium ChatGPT features.
The way I go about it is by treating the AI like a personal assistant, even though ChatGPT is far from getting there. I use the AI to get information about various topics, including work and personal stuff. I tell the AI to give me specific data and generate more detailed reports on certain things.
As I said, it’s far from being an actual assistant as it doesn’t have that sort of agentic behavior. It can’t access data in other apps, not that I’m ready to trust OpenAI with that sort of behavior. But it’s getting the job done, saving me some time in the process.
But I’m absolutely envious of a new Gemini feature that leaked a few weeks ago and has started rolling out to users since. You can now invoke Gemini while you use Google Maps, and the AI will display a new Ask about place menu that will let you chat with the AI about locations on the map. It’s brilliant, and I want it right now. Sadly, I can’t have it, and it’s not just because I favor ChatGPT use over Gemini.
An APK teardown from a few weeks ago showed that Gemini will soon be able to answer your questions about places you visit with the help of Google Maps. After discovering the unreleased feature in the app’s code, Android Authority reports that the feature has started going live for users.
What you need to do is activate Gemini while you have Google Maps open. You’ll get the new Ask about place button. Tap it, and you can ask Gemini questions about a location on the map. The feature works with individual locations, like businesses, but not larger areas, like cities.
Still, talking to the AI about places you intend to visit would be great. I might not use Gemini, but Google Maps is still my go-to map app, where I perform most of my location-related searches. For example, I used ChatGPT to devise a plan to visit Tokyo, but then it was up to Google Maps to get me there and find information about nearby restaurants, coffee shops, and even the museums I planned to check out.
It would be even easier to interact with Google Maps about points of interest via an AI like Gemini overlaid on top of the app. After all, Gemini Live can now see what’s on your display, so it makes sense to get this advanced AI functionality from Google apps like Maps.
I said before I can’t have the feature, and it has nothing to do with ChatGPT. I’m an iPhone user, so this kind of Gemini chat over Google Maps isn’t possible on iPhone. It’s another way for Google to leverage the fact that it controls one of the two mobile operating systems that matter. It’s a big advantage over ChatGPT, as OpenAI doesn’t have such perks.
There’s no ChatGPT OS for now, though I’d expect OpenAI to create one for whatever AI device it’s developing. Also, OpenAI doesn’t have first-party apps like Google Maps, though it might always find ways to use those apps for ChatGPT purposes in the future.
The only company that might offer similar AI functionality is Apple. The smarter Siri that’s currently vaporware will get access to Apple Maps data one day. But we must wait at least a year for such perks, if not more.
If you’re an Android user, you can start talking to Gemini about Google Maps places, assuming the feature has rolled out to your area. As always, ensure you have the latest Gemini/Google and Google Maps app versions installed on your Android device.
