The driving app is getting help from Google’s flagship AI assistant.
The driving app is getting help from Google’s flagship AI assistant.
Image: Waze
is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State.
Waze is getting an AI makeover. Google is integrating its flagship AI assistant, Gemini, into the driving app with the goal of letting users personalize their trips a little more.
Of the four new updates, only two are being described as involving Gemini. Waze says its updating its conversation reporting feature, first introduced in 2024, to allow drivers to use conversational voice commands to report traffic incidents and suggest map updates, like a road closure or outdated house number. In addition, Waze introduced Destination Search, enabling drivers to use (again) use conversation voice commands (e.g., “Find me a coffee shop that’s open right now” or “Find me a gas station nearby with the lowest prices”) to find a destination.
You can adjust voice prompts to be “less chatty.”
Image: Waze
This makes sense, given how much better conversational voice interactions have gotten with AI. For its non-AI features, Waze is allowing users to adjust to a “less chatty” mode for voice prompts so drivers don’t have to sacrifice their music or podcast listening while using the app’s driving directions. Waze is also getting a Motorcycle Mode that incorporates two-wheeled shortcuts and more accurate ETAs for the best possible routing.
And lastly, Waze will now suggest routes based on a user’s past trips and using its own data about local traffic patters. So if you prefer highways over local roads, Waze will make sure you see those routing options first.
So far, Google has held off on giving Waze a full AI revamp. Google Maps, however, has been getting more and more AI-powered capabilities, as the tech giant seemingly exerts greater control over its flagship navigation tool.
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