Evidence of the future for Google Maps, a future in the hands of artificial intelligence or, better, machine learning that in 2021 largely helped Google to keep the information on its app for maps and navigation reliable.
Machine learning (automatic learning in our area) is that branch of artificial intelligence that allows computers, through statistical methods exploited to improve the various learning algorithms, to extrapolate information from various data that they receive in meal, in an autonomous or supervised way.
Google Maps: 100 million abusive changes blocked in 2021 and beyond
In a report on the reliability of Google Maps in 2021, published recently on its blog, the Mountain View company claimed to have exploited machine learning, coupled with human operators, to block more than 100 million fake and fraudulent changes that some users were trying to apply to Google Business profiles.
Additionally, 7 million fake profiles were deleted, with only 630,000 of them (less than 10%) being reported by other users. But we are only at the tip of the iceberg. From the report, in fact, other disconcerting data emerges on what Google had to fight within Google Maps, fortunately, succeeding:
- 12 million attempts by users posing as a company have been blocked.
- 8 million attempts to undue claims of the profiles of various companies have been stemmed.
- Over a million accounts have been closed due to numerous policy violations related to the policy that you accept when creating an account.
- Approximately 200 million photos and videos of poor quality or that went against the norms were removed.
Another point of interest concerns the measures taken by Google against those users who released fake reviews on Google Maps, in order to damage the activities when they reopened, which took place in the period following the first wave of COVID-19. Big G found over 95 million reviews that violated the rules, of which at least 60,000 were related to COVID-19 related issues.
Although Google Maps is confirmed as a real magnet for idiots, it is nice to see that Google is constantly working to try to keep everything in order. Machine learning has played an important role but, at least at the moment, human operators are still involved in the process and are almost necessary: on the other hand, machine learning has no sense of humor.
2021 served as a training ground for machine learning which will inevitably become more and more central in the fight against fraudulent behavior on Google Maps; assuming you learn to understand when you joke.