Waze is getting a bunch of new AI-powered features
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- Waze is integrating Google's Gemini AI assistant, updating its conversation reporting feature (first introduced in 2024) to let drivers use conversational voice commands to report traffic incidents and suggest map updates like road closures or outdated house numbers.
- Waze introduced Destination Search, enabling conversational voice queries such as "Find me a coffee shop that's open right now" or "Find me a gas station nearby with the lowest prices."
- Waze is adding a non-AI "less chatty" mode for voice prompts so drivers don't have to sacrifice music or podcast listening while using driving directions.
- Waze is launching a Motorcycle Mode that incorporates two-wheeled shortcuts and more accurate ETAs for routing.
- Waze will now suggest routes based on a user's past trips and its own traffic pattern data, prioritizing preferred road types like highways over local roads.
- Google has held off on giving Waze a full AI revamp, even as Google Maps has been absorbing more AI-powered capabilities under the tech giant's increasing control over its flagship navigation tool.
Why it matters: Two of Waze's four new updates — Motorcycle Mode and a 'less chatty' voice setting — are explicitly non-AI, while Gemini powers only the conversational reporting and destination search features. Google has held off on a full Waze AI revamp even as Google Maps absorbs more AI, suggesting Waze's Gemini integration is being kept deliberately narrow rather than signaling a platform-wide AI overhaul.
