Make hay while the sun shines, friends. It might not last forever, but neither will you!
I think that because with a map you are looking at street signs/names, etc. both in advance to plan the route, and much more actively and intently while driving to figure out "do I turn here" and you just remember that stuff. Where as a GPS says "turn right at the next light" and you really don't remember any context around that.
If anyone else is frustrated by this experience, I've found that changing the setting in Google Maps to have the map always point north has helped me with actually building a mental model of directions. I found instead of just following the line, it forced me to think about whether I'm going north, south, east, or west for each directions.
It's the same reason I hate that trains in Germany now only show when the next train comes. When I was a kid they would show the time and optionally the delay. I always knew when each train was coming because you learn the schedule automatically. Now it's impossible to automatically build that mental model.
Prior to an iPhone I’d have the general lay of a city memorised within 10min of landing, using a paper tourist map, and probably never feel disoriented, let alone lost.
This morning I walked 2 blocks further than needed (of a 1 block walk) because I wasn’t at all oriented while following Google maps.
I won’t spell out the AI comparison, other than I think more “apps” will be created, and predictable “followed the GPS off a bridge” revelations.
I never worried about what would happen if internet were to become unavailable. Given that it’s become one an essential service I just trust that powers that be will make sure to get it back up.
Going to some new place meant getting a map, looking at it, making a plan, following the plan, keeping track on the map, that sort of thing.
Then I traveled somewhere new, for the first time, with GPS and a navigation sofware. It was quite impressive, and rather easier. I got to my destination the first time, without any problems. And each time after that.
But I did remark that I did not learn the route. The 10th time, the 50th time, I still needed the GPS to guide me. And without it, I would have to start the whole thing from scratch: get a map, make a plan, and so on.
Having done the "manual" navigation with maps lots of times before, it never worries me what I would do without a GPS. But if you're "born" with the GPS, I wonder what you do when it fails.
Are you not worried how you would manage your apps if for some reason the AIs were unavailable?