Google and Microsoft Collide as Google Earth Gets New AI-Driven Maps Upgrade

Google launched a major upgrade to Google Earth, giving the platform a new set of advanced mapping and search tools, the company announced through its official blog. By using generative image models and computer vision, Google Earth now offers search in plain language and the ability to surface highly specific geographic features. Google described how users can search for a “small lake with blue water near San Francisco,” and Earth will highlight matching locations, using its extensive satellite database.

This move is seen as a direct shot at Microsoft, which has been investing heavily in AI mapping for Bing and integrating smarter location awareness across its services. Google said its tech relies on nearly a decade of 3D globe development and hundreds of millions of satellite images.

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The company claims it can now recognize objects and textures with much greater detail and accuracy. This lets Earth identify features such as cliffs, rock types, or even identify the shapes of farmland or desert, a step up over rivals like Microsoft’s AI-powered Bing Maps, which focused more on urban data and navigation for its Copilot integrations.

The upgrade will initially roll out to select researchers and organizations but is promised to reach wider audiences. Google plans to use the new tools for environmental monitoring and disaster response, areas where Microsoft and Adobe have been teaming up to boost their mapping and imaging tools for governmental and sports applications.

With this release, the long-standing rivalry between Google and Microsoft in mapping technology and AI enters another round. Google Earth’s refreshed search and geo-analysis powers could become a new battleground for companies eager to provide smarter, more useful tools for both professionals and consumers alike.

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