Google Maps is getting a meaningful update in New Zealand, across Android, iPhone, CarPlay, and Android Auto, changing how many users hear directions.
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Google Maps gets a new AI-powered Kiwi voice that improves pronunciation of Maori place names across navigation.
Fiza Ali
Neowin
@Fiza_Aliii ·
Google Maps gets better at pronouncing Māori placenames after years of complaints
Why Google has launched a new voice for Maps in New Zealand
Maps has an authentic new voice in New Zealand
New Zealand finally gets a Google Maps tool that correctly pronounces Māori placenames
After English, te reo Māori remains country’s second most widely spoken language
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The new voice speaks English with a Kiwi accent while accurately pronouncing indigenous place names.
Language commission hails normalisation of te reo Māori after years of work in identifying frequently mispronounced words
The AI features are also supposed to enable Google Maps to be more precise by calling out landmarks instead of relying on…
Several projects around the world are working to develop indigenous-owned AI models
