Oct 31 (Reuters) - Alphabet's Google on

Thursday announced a set of features that incorporated Gemini,

its artificial intelligence chatbot, into its suite of mapping

applications.

Widely perceived to have relinquished an early lead on AI

development to rivals like Microsoft ( MSFT )-backed OpenAI,

Google has attempted to catch up by incorporating research

advances into existing apps and devices with large user bases.

Google Maps is a prominent example. The product surpassed 2

billion monthly active users, CEO Sundar Pichai said Tuesday

during quarterly earnings where he touted investments in AI as

"paying off" for its top line.

Thursday's announcement showcased a new category of search

results that can better process open-ended search queries, such

as "things to do with friends at night in Boston" or "fun fall

activities in Seattle."

Past versions of the Google Maps app respond to such queries

with more generic results that are not as accurate. In the past,

it displayed a wide range of tourist attractions in Boston

including some that are closed at night, whereas the updated app

will show more tailored options like a list of speakeasies or

live music venues.

Gemini can better understand context like the time of day or

season, said Miriam Daniel, a vice president in charge of

consumer experiences for Google Maps, at a press event on

Wednesday.

"It's not just 'What's near me?' It's actually 'What can I

do tonight?'" she said.

Similar to AI Overviews, the AI-generated summaries in

Google's search tool, the new results in Maps will not replace

existing location listings, but rather be displayed above or

below them.

Consumers can also ask Gemini questions about a specific

place and the software will analyze existing user reviews to

answer the question.

The company has come under fire for inaccurate AI search

results, including biased responses and a pizza recipe that

listed glue as an ingredient. To avoid such problems, known as

hallucinations, with Maps, responses from Gemini are

cross-referenced against real-world data that Google has

collected.

Google also revealed on Thursday new AI capabilities in

other tools like Google Earth and vehicle navigation app Waze.

They include chatbots to help developers and urban planners

to analyze map and geographic data more quickly, and a feature

in Waze that allows drivers to report road incidents by voice.