Data from Pokémon GO is used by Niantic to train an AI. And it has quite specific areas of application.
Artificial intelligence (AI), is a major topic in the public eye, especially since the release of ChatGPT. Many companies are working on their own AI models for various applications.
Niantic, the studio behind Pokémon GO, is also one of them. For their in-house AI, they utilize data from the trainers of Pokémon GO among other sources.
Scan PokéStops to Train Robots
What kind of data does Niantic use? According to their own statements, Niantic primarily uses data from players of Pokémon GO and Ingress to train their AI. In the case of Pokémon GO, this involves field research where you need to scan a location and receive rewards for it.
This data then contributes to their AI called “Niantic Visual Positioning System” (VPS). So far, they have been able to fully capture over 10 million scanned locations in this way, of which over a million of these locations are already part of the AI. Additionally, Niantic receives over a million new scans of locations weekly.
How is the data used? While AI models like ChatGPT are what are called “Large Language Models” (LLM), which use millions of data from texts to train the AI, Niantic’s model is different.
They call their model “Large Geospatial Model,” thus translated as large geodata model. Instead of generating texts, this AI is intended to be used for navigating computer-assisted systems through the real world.
This includes applications such as AR glasses. The abbreviation AR stands for “augmented reality” and describes the visualization of virtual objects in the real world – like in Pokémon GO.
Robots and other autonomous systems also belong to the application area that is expected to benefit from Niantic’s AI. They should be able to navigate through the real world independently using this data.
The AI is also expected to be used in their games to enable new features. A current example is the Playgrounds in Pokémon GO, which are currently being tested.
In addition to rewards for scanning PokéStops, there are many other contents in Pokémon GO where you can be compensated with special rewards. Most of the time, you will find strong content in the game’s events. You can also find an overview of the current events in November 2024 in Pokémon GO with us as well.
