Google is adding a new feature for third-party developers building atop its Gemini AI models that rivals like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, and the growing array of Chinese open source options are unlikely to get anytime soon: grounding with Google Maps.This addition allows developers to connect Google’s Gemini AI models’ reasoning capabilities with live geospatial data from Google Maps, enabling applications to deliver detailed, location-relevant responses to user queries—such as business hours, reviews, or the atmosphere of a specific venue. By tapping into data from over 250 million places, developers can now build more intelligent and responsive location-aware experiences.This is particularly useful for applications where proximity, real-time availability, or location-specific personalization matter—such as local search, delivery services, real estate, and travel planning. When the user’s location is known, developers can pass latitude and longitude into the request to enhance the response quality.By tightly integrating real-time and historical Maps data into the Gemini API, Google enables applications to generate grounded, location-specific responses with factual accuracy and contextual depth that are uniquely possible through its mapping infrastructure.Merging AI and Geospatial IntelligenceThe new feature is accessible in Google AI Studio, where developers can try a live demo powered by the Gemini Live API. Models that support the grounding with Google Maps include:Gemini 2.5 ProGemini 2.5 FlashGemini 2.5 Flash-LiteGemini 2.0 FlashIn one demonstration, a user asked for Italian restaurant recommendations in Chicago. The assistant, leveraging Maps data, retrieved top-rated options and clarified a misspelled restaurant name before locating the correct venue with accurate business details.Developers can also retrieve a context token to embed a Google Maps widget in their app’s user interface. This interactive component displays photos, reviews, and other familiar content typically found in Google Maps.Integration is handled via the generateContent method in the Gemini API, w …
