Niantic Has Been Using Your Pokémon Go Data for an AI-Based Navigation System

A few years ago, everybody seemed to be glued to their phones, playing Pokémon Go. The mobile game revolutionized the industry by utilizing augmented reality (AR) technology, attracting players of all ages. 

It was a massive success for the company, resulting in a large user base and a wealth of player data. Recently, it was revealed that this information is being used to develop an AI-based navigation system.

Niantic and Pokémon Go

Niantic is behind the popular mobile game Pokémon Go, which revolutionized the gaming industry in 2016. If you’re unfamiliar with it, players need to track down and capture Pokémon, battle other players and interact with virtual locations. The phone serves as a portal, allowing users to see characters superimposed on the area where they’re pointing their phone. Experts say it has around 81 million active users.

Your Personal Data Is Being Used to Train AI Map Models

Today, Niantic wants to go further. It announced that it’s building an AI model to provide next-generation maps. It’s called the Large Geospatial Model (LGM) and aims to enable computers to perceive physical spaces and interact with them in innovative ways. This advancement will be crucial in AR glasses and other fields, such as content creation, autonomous systems and robotics, in hopes of advancing spatial intelligence — the world’s future operating system. 

For the past five years, the company has focused on improving its visual positioning system (VPS) based on the media sent by people worldwide. This is part of the feature where users sign up to capture data and help Niantic innovate new AR products. The scanning feature is declared optional — you need to visit a publicly accessible site and click to scan. 

VPS uses an image to identify its position and orientation. It then uses a 3D map built from individuals scanning locations in the games, including Pokémon Go, to create a more accurate map of the physical world. 

What Is Geospatial AI? 

This innovation combines artificial intelligence (AI) with location-based data to help people understand and interact with the physical world more effectively. It can help companies improve manual information generation workflows, monitor and analyze environmental events, and boost real-world awareness.

For instance, local governments can use geospatial AI to analyze population and available resources to forecast road deterioration before taking action.

Is There a Potential Misuse of Personal Data?

If you’re a Pokemon Go player, you probably wouldn’t have predicted that your data would one day help train revolutionary AI models. However, in 2022, Niantic chief scientist Victor Prisacariu shared that they’re using users’ data to train their developments. The company created high-fidelity maps with 3D geometry and semantic understanding, which can be overlaid onto physical locations.

Despite these claims, there’s a growing concern about the company’s lack of clarity on data handling, especially regarding user consent. Niantic can access players’ Google accounts if they use them to log into Pokémon Go and can read and send emails. It may also share your details with third-party service providers for research and analysis, demographic profiling and other purposes.

As identified in the company’s private policy, it collects location and personal data — including email address and name — and outlines what is and isn’t shared with third-party vendors. However, it doesn’t disclose what it does with the information. 

The Dangers of Location Data

According to Anton Dahbura, Johns Hopkins University executive director of the Information Security Institute, how companies can easily access data is a problem in today’s state of technology.

He says having data containing personal information can be dangerous, especially if there’s a breach and it falls into the wrong hands. Therefore, there’s a greater need for companies to consider privacy and ethics when gathering personal information so users won’t worry too much about how their data is being shared.

Privacy in the Time of AI

There’s certainly a lot of data being collected about everyone, including your gaming information. As a user, you must be cautious about what you share with applications, as no one can guarantee how companies will use your personal details.