Google Shows Off AI Upgrades For Its Search and Maps

Google hosted a high-profile event in Paris to showcase cutting-edge AI advancements for its Search and Maps. The gathering, seen as a reaction to Microsoft’s integration of OpenAI’s models into its offerings, took place just after Microsoft’s sudden event.

There, Microsoft revealed plans to integrate the latest version of the ChatGPT chatbot, powered by GPT-4, into the Bing search engine and the Edge browser.

Anticipation ran high for Google’s AI-focused announcements at its upcoming I/O developer conference in May.

However, this week, Google staged a hasty and lackluster event, seemingly to remind the public, and possibly investors, of its AI prowess that it remains at the forefront of the field.

Google Search

Search is the core of Google’s business. The recent integration of OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology into Microsoft’s Bing search engine has caused concern at Google. However, they see search as an ongoing journey and an opportunity to explore new horizons.

At the event, Google showcased some of its recent, behind-the-scenes advancements. This includes the integration of zero-shot machine translation, which has expanded Google Translate to over 24 new languages in the past year.

Google also demonstrated a visual search enhancement called “Multi-search,” allowing users to search with text and images, making it possible to search for a specific chair or clothing item in a different color.

Google Maps

Head of Google’s Geo Group, Chris Phillips, presented the latest AI improvements coming to Google Maps. According to Phillips, AI is driving the future of Google Maps, blending billions of Street Views and real-world images to create multi-dimensional views that let users virtually fly over buildings before visiting.

One of the most remarkable advancements is how AI transforms 2D images of indoor spaces into 3D, allowing people to explore them.

This can be useful, for example, when evaluating a restaurant’s atmosphere and lighting before a date. Google is also enhancing “Search with Live View,” an AR tool that assists users in locating nearby facilities such as ATMs.

The featured image was gotten from Google.com