Gemini in Maps planned my Seattle day surprisingly well
Source: theverge.com
TL;DR
- Hands-on test of Gemini AI planning a full day itinerary in Google Maps using public transit in Seattle.
- Gemini suggested tacos at Tacos Chukis, Volunteer Park Conservatory, and Day Made Kaffe, hitting home by 4:26pm after refinements.
- Helps cut through overwhelming options with tailored picks from Maps data, but prone to hallucinations like wrong directions.
The story at a glance
Allison Johnson tested Gemini in Google Maps by asking it to plan a rainy day in Seattle: public transit only, lunch, a walk, laptop-friendly coffee, two neighborhoods, home by 4:30pm. It proposed offbeat spots like Tacos Chukis for pineapple-grilled tacos, Volunteer Park Conservatory plants, and Day Made Kaffe, with back-and-forth tweaks along the way. The piece reports on this now as a fresh hands-on with the feature, showing it works well for discovery despite glitches.[[1]](https://www.theverge.com/tech/907015/gemini-google-maps-hands-on)
Key points
- Gemini shows up as "Ask Maps" with a chat box; pulls from Maps data like user reviews, plus extras like weather.
- Handled query for transit-based day: lunch at hidden Tacos Chukis (perfect timing, 15 minutes early), nearby Kobo shop with Japanese goods after correction from bad direction suggestion, conservatory loop or indoor plants, then Day Made Kaffe for work.
- Made refinements easy, like swapping neighborhoods or indoor options for rain; integrated real-time transit via main Maps app.
- Found new spots author bookmarked, like Pioneer Square coffee; good for kid queries too, e.g., vehicle-themed restaurants or dinosaur nuggets with cocktails.
- Hallucinated walking 10 minutes wrong to a bookstore ("one block east" error); missed $6 conservatory fee.
- No major fails like bad transit; "never once told me to walk into a river."
Details and context
Gemini acts as a middleman for Maps' huge dataset of places and reviews, surfacing tailored ideas that cut decision paralysis when thousands of options exist. It shows its reasoning, which helps trust the picks, but relies on sometimes spotty user reviews for details like fees or hours.[[1]](https://www.theverge.com/tech/907015/gemini-google-maps-hands-on)
The test used Seattle's public transit on a rainy day, proving useful for less familiar areas; transit directions stayed accurate via core Maps, not Gemini itself. Past AI tests note similar directional hallucinations, so double-check before relying fully.[[2]](https://www.theverge.com/tech/866931/gemini-personal-intelligence-ai)
Key quotes
- "It never once told me to walk into a river."[[1]](https://www.theverge.com/tech/907015/gemini-google-maps-hands-on) — Allison Johnson
- "Gemini is just the middleman." — Allison Johnson, on sifting Maps reviews.
Why it matters
Gemini makes Google Maps better at personal discovery, turning vast data into real plans without endless scrolling. For users, it means easier outings like rainy-day jaunts or kid-friendly hunts, though verify directions to avoid AI goofs. Watch for fixes to hallucinations and wider rollout tweaks.