Waze launches AI features that make navigation easier

The Waze team announced that, starting this week, the app will feature artificial intelligence capabilities powered by Google's Gemini. Among the new features are more natural voice commands, real-time optimized route suggestions, and shorter text responses, avoiding long unnecessary conversations while the driver is driving.

These changes come at a time when voice assistants and LLMs (Large Language Models) are becoming an integral part of consumer services. Competition among Google, Apple, and other tech giants has accelerated the adoption of generative AI in established apps, and Waze, which has strong penetration in Brazil, decided to position itself at the forefront.

For those learning AI, the Waze case demonstrates how a language model can be adapted to a specific context – in this case, navigation and traffic – and integrated into interaction flows that require speed and safety. It's a practical example of how to turn academic research into a product that millions of Brazilians use daily.

Imagine a user who, when entering São Paulo traffic, asks Waze: “How do I get to work avoiding traffic jams?”. The Gemini model interprets the intent, cross-references real-time traffic data, and returns the fastest route in a few seconds, all by voice command, without the driver needing to look at the phone.

If you're studying AI, try creating a small voice assistant prototype using publicly available LLM APIs, like Gemini or Claude. Observe latency, response clarity, and how to adapt the model to local vocabulary. Pay attention to location data privacy issues, which are crucial for acceptance in Brazil.