Apple is reinventing the corner of your neighborhood as the next big thing in AI. As it is seen that Apple is using Look Around Photos to train its AI Models
Apple announced that it plans to use imagery from Look Around in Apple Maps to train its AI models. An interesting strategic conversion toward using proprietary tools rather than third-party data. This development extends Apple’s already rigidly closed ecosystem deeper, now even their maps are getting smarter but more private.
Apple uses Look Around Photos to train AI models
Look Around was launched back in 2019 and is Apple’s answer to Google Street View, offering high-definition street-level views of major cities. But now those crisp images of sidewalks, storefronts, and intersections will do a lot more than help you find the nearest coffee: they’ll teach an AI how to “see” the world.
According to Apple, this data will facilitate the neural networks to be enhanced for understanding real-world environments. Moreover, it will enhance AR experiences, and power future AI assistants. Someone like Siri will see in perhaps more detail; with a better sense of direction.
Particularly interesting is the fact that Apple intends to rely solely on its own images and will not depend upon third-party sources. This is to guarantee its control over data quality and privacy. And in keeping with the Apple ethos, your information goes untouched. Nonpersonal and unattributable images were emphasized by the company. Specifically, mentioning that Apple will keep your face and your driveway out of the training dataset.
A step closer to Spatial Intelligence
Merely another leap in technology, surely; it also marks something more-an important position in Apple’s own maneuverings in AI. Back to the present: Google and Microsoft are racing ahead with generative AI by the day. While Apple, steadily and without fuss, is organizing itself-train its models on images, movement, and real-world contextual information.
That’s kind of the twist: to take the data it already has and use it to build tools that are smarter and genuinely intuitive. Imagine an AI that knows where you are, what you are looking at, and what you might need next-without ever asking you to type a single word.
That does, of course, raise certain ethical concerns about where and how AI obtains such street cred. But for now, Apple is minding its own business-in private, polished, and just a little mysterious.
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