Google announces interactive tour on Maps in Brazil – 06/27/2023 – Tech

Google launched this Tuesday (27) the immersive visualization feature in Brazilian tourist spots. It is possible to visit the surroundings of places like Christ the Redeemer, Masp (Museum of Art of São Paulo), Brasília Cathedral and Centro do Dragão do Mar, in Fortaleza.

The climate of the simulation varies according to the weather forecast for the chosen day. Traffic information also appears in the simulation. To take the three-dimensional tour, open Google Maps and click on the “Immersive View” icon.

Multidimensional images are created with artificial intelligence (AI), from aerial images and billions of photos from Google Street View, a tool that allows you to visualize places from photos. The feature was the only novelty from Google’s annual conference held on May 10 to arrive in Brazil.

Another option announced by Google was the internal view of Metro stations and airports in the city of São Paulo. The service starts operating at Guarulhos airport in the coming weeks – the company did not specify a date.

The live experience will allow passengers to check to see if spaces are full or see ticket locations and restaurants.

The next places available in the function called Google Indoor View will be the Pameiras-Barra Funda and Paraíso subway stations.

The functionality of Google Maps had been announced without a release date during the May conference and had been in the company’s plans since 2022. At the time, the chief executive of Google Sundar Pichai stated that, with the simulation, users will plan more details for sightseeing, to avoid unforeseen events.

Vice-president of Google Maps, Yael Maguire, came to Brazil in person and was the only foreign spokesperson at the event. He presented a tour around Masp, which he said he planned to visit.

At its annual conference in May, Google launched its ChatGPT competitor chatbot, Bard, in 180 countries, but left Brazil and members of the European Union out of the package. In the search giant’s main national event, map updates were the only generative AI announcement to arrive here.

In common, Brazil and European countries have clashed with big techs on issues such as regulation of artificial intelligence, anti-competitive practices and the fight against fake news.

There were no mentions of launching Bard for Brazilian users. Google had to delay plans to launch Bard in Europe after Ireland’s Data Protection Commission said the company had given away insufficient information about how it will protect the privacy of European citizens, according to the Politico website.