Pokémon Goplayers unwittingly contributed to tech with military drone uses

Years after the Pokémon Go phenomenon swept the globe, an AI firm has harnessed the power of billions of real-world images collected by avid players to advance navigation systems for delivery robots and potentially military drones. This development raises questions about the unintended consequences of a beloved augmented reality game that encouraged players to capture short videos of their surroundings. The company in question, Niantic Spatial, emerged as a separate entity from the Pokémon Go developer Niantic in May 2025, following Niantic's decision to sell its licensed titles, including Pokémon Go, to the Saudi-backed video game publisher Scopely. Prior to this transition, Niantic had announced its intention to utilize scans from the vast number of Pokémon Go players, alongside data from its Scaniverse app, to create an extensive geospatial model—a three-dimensional representation of the physical world informed by geolocated images submitted by users. A spokesperson for Niantic Spatial explained to Ars that ground scans played a crucial role in training the company’s foundational AI models, which are designed to recognize and interpret real-world environments. Importantly, they clarified that these models are products of training rather than direct copies of the original scans, which primarily feature publicly accessible sites like statues and fountains. After becoming an independent company, Niantic Spatial processed around 30 billion images, predominantly from urban areas frequented by gamers. According to MIT Technology Review, these images were captured from various angles and under differing lighting and weather conditions, enriched with metadata that detailed the location and orientation of the players’ devices. The spokesperson emphasized that the ground scans were an optional feature for users, allowing them to create brief videos of public spots. They further noted that the company has maintained transparency regarding the use of these scans to enhance their technology platform since 2019, as outlined in their privacy policy and public communications.