How to use Google Maps Grounding in Google Gemini?

Gemini AI can now answer location based questions by referencing Google Maps data, this is called "Grounding with Google Maps".

Here's how to try it out:

Step 1: Navigate to Google Gemini at this link:

https://gemini.google.com/app

Step 2: Sign in or create an account, I tried doing this with a signed out account and it did not use Google Maps to answer the question, I then signed in with my 'PLUS' subscription account and it worked. I haven't tested if it works on a signed in 'FREE' account, but it should.

Step 3: Ask it a question that requires location data, Gemini is smart enough to recognise that and invoke the Google Maps tool to answer the question, else, in the prompt say something like "use maps" or "invoke the Google Maps tool" to force its use, for example:

"use maps and tell me the best artisan coffee spot nearby?"

Click enter and you'll know it's working because it will say "Google Maps" while thinking. If it doesn't say "Google Maps", then it's not using Google Maps Grounding to answer your question.

This will use Google's location services and mapping data to figure out your current location. If it's not detecting your current location accurately you can update it or you tell the AI your area directly in the prompt, e.g.

"use maps and tell me the best artisan coffee spot in Seapoint, Cape Town?"

This functionality makes many new app ideas possible. If you're a developer, here's the link to the documentation:

https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/maps-grounding?hl=en

Hope this helps!