Back
Technology

Niantic and Vantor Partner on Drone Navigation Using AI Trained with Pokémon Go Data

Generated on: Last updated: 1 sources
View source

Pokémon Go Data Sparks Military Concerns: Niantic's Partnership with Drone Company Raises Privacy Alarms

Niantic, the creator of Pokémon Go, has partnered with Vantor, a company specializing in spatial detection software for drones—including military drones. The collaboration aims to enable drone navigation in areas where GPS is unavailable, spoofed, interfered with, or jammed.

The Data Connection

Niantic collected user location scans via Pokémon Go's AR Scan feature, introduced in 2021. Players opted in to upload recordings, which were used to train Niantic's AI models to recognize and interpret physical spaces.

"Using civilian data for military ends is troubling... most users do not read lengthy terms and conditions."
— Tom Sulston, head of policy at Digital Rights Watch

Key Details of the Partnership

  • In December 2024, Niantic announced the partnership with Vantor. Both companies stated that ground scans from Pokémon Go were not provided to Vantor; instead, scans were used only to train Niantic's foundation models.

  • Vantor's chief product officer, Peter Wilczynski, said in a December interview that the partnership allows rapid system upgrades in modern battle spaces.

  • Both companies confirmed the partnership is in early stages.

  • Vantor announced a deal with the US Army in February 2025, valued at up to US$217 million, for training software.

Broader Implications

Dr. Rob Nicholls, senior researcher at the University of Sydney's Centre for AI, Trust and Governance, said this case likely represents the tip of the iceberg regarding app data repurposing. He cited previous examples like Strava data being used to identify military facilities.

"This case likely represents the tip of the iceberg regarding app data repurposing."
— Dr. Rob Nicholls, University of Sydney

Background

  • Pokémon Go was released in 2016 and had over 800 million downloads worldwide by 2018.
  • Niantic sold its video game division to Scopely in 2025 for US$3.5 billion.

The partnership highlights a growing concern: personal data collected for entertainment purposes can be repurposed in ways users never anticipated, raising serious questions about consent and the ethical boundaries of civilian data in military applications.