Niantic Used Pokemon Go Players To Create Real-World AI Navigation Model

As a dedicated Pokemon Go player with years of virtual footprints etched across the globe, I find myself in awe at the unforeseen impact our collective journey has had. Unwittingly, we’ve become digital cartographers, contributing to Niantic’s ambitious 3D model of the world. It’s fascinating to think that our quest for rare Pokemon has helped teach computers to perceive and comprehend our physical world, much like a well-trained Pikachu learning new tricks.


Over the past eight years, Pokemon Go enthusiasts have significantly contributed to making Niantic’s game a leading choice in mobile gaming. Notably, players have also been unknowingly assisting Niantic in building a 3D representation of our world. This model is being further developed into a comprehensive Large Geospatial Model using AI technology.

404 Media recently reported that Niantic, in a relatively overlooked announcement earlier this month, has been quietly working on plans to enhance computers’ ability to perceive, understand, and navigate the real world. Essentially, they aim to make computers more attuned to their physical surroundings, similar to how Large Geospatial Models function compared to Large Language Models used by AI models like OpenAI’s GPT, Grok, and others.

Since Pokemon Go players explore locations inaccessible by cars, they’ve unknowingly provided Niantic with unique perspectives of building facades and areas that earlier models had missed out on. Niantic revealed that their previous models could only recognize the fronts of buildings, but now with Large Geospatial Models, computers are being trained to identify the other sides of buildings worldwide.

One method by which Pokemon Go enthusiasts have inadvertently contributed is via the newly introduced Pokemon Playgrounds feature. This allows players to place a specific Pokemon at a location, which can then be discovered by other gamers. Niantic shares that over 10 million locations worldwide have been scanned using this feature so far, with approximately 1 million new scans added every week.

Based on the map displayed on Niantic’s website, it seems that their company is yet to cover a significant part of the world with its mapping. Currently, many locations appear to have been mapped in North America and Europe, while regions like Africa, Australia, and a large section of Asia are still not fully captured. Similarly, South America has substantial progress to make before Niantic’s AI model can map it completely.

Beyond the popular mobile game, Pokemon Go, the Pokemon franchise remains robust and flourishing. This week, merchandise for the 25th anniversary of Pokemon Gold and Silver is being launched. Additionally, another mobile title in the series, Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket, garnered an impressive 30 million downloads within its first week. As for future releases, expect Pokemon Legends Z-A to hit shelves in 2025.

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2024-11-19 22:39