Pokémon Go trainers have actually been helping train AI, too

[phillynews215]

Credit: Joe Hindy / Android Authority

• Niantic is building a new type of AI model that can understand and navigate the physical world.
• The company is training its AI on data gathered from its mobile apps, like Pokemon Go and Scaniverse.
• It’s suggested this AI could be used for supporting AR, robotics, content creation, and more.

AR mobile game maker Niantic is currently working on a new type of AI model meant to help computers better understand and navigate physical spaces. As with any AI, this model requires data to train itself on. It appears the company is leaning on the copious amounts of data its players provide for this task.

If you have even a passing interest in Pokemon, you might recognize Niantic as the company behind the popular AR game Pokemon Go. It has also created a number of other AR games and apps, such as its 3D scanning app Scaniverse. These games and apps take scans of the surrounding environment for their AR features to work.




More...