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PokemonGo Users Trained The Next Generation Of Killer Robots (www.therage.co)

submitted 3 days ago by DivineChaos100@hexbear.net to c/technology@hexbear.net

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[–] Carl@hexbear.net 18 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

Over the weekend, viral social media posts have amplified reporting that Niantic, the developer of PokemonGo, is using its acquired database of over 30 Billion crowdsourced images of the world to power "visual navigation for delivery robots." Thousands of users are rightfully outraged of unwittingly having to help train what appear to be AI models, as big tech proponents attempt to downplay the implications.

But the reports omit that Niantic has sold its gaming division in 2025 and rebranded the remaining company as Niantic Spatial: a firm developing a large geospatial model allowing for centimeter-accurate navigation that is selling its services to major US Defense contractors.

Pokemon Go is from 2016, so Niantic must have been holding onto all of this data, looking for ways to turn it into cash, until they landed on selling it to the DoD. It is extremely bleak that something objectively cool and social like pokemon go can get turned into fuel for the war machine like this.

[–] Thordros@hexbear.net 10 points 3 days ago

They specifically added a feature to their games in 2020 that requires users to take photos and 360 videos of areas of interest for "research tasks".

Now we know who the research was for.

[–] chgxvjh@hexbear.net 8 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I'm sure they have tried to sell it to the DoD for a while. Kind of the default move.