# Apple Maps Look Around Vehicles Will Now Assist in Training Apple Intelligence Models
Apple is broadening the function of its Maps Image Collection cars, extending beyond mere enhancement of Apple Maps. The company has unveiled that the vehicles responsible for gathering images and 3D scans for the Look Around function will also be utilized to train Apple Intelligence models. This initiative underscores Apple’s increasing emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI) and its incorporation into a variety of products and services.
## Apple Maps and AI Integration
Apple’s Look Around feature, akin to Google Street View, offers users captivating, street-level visuals of different locations. The data amassed by Apple’s mapping vehicles has historically been employed to refine navigation, refresh maps, and boost the precision of location-based services. Nevertheless, starting in March 2025, Apple will additionally use this data to instruct its AI models.
As stated on the recently updated [Apple Maps Image Collection webpage](https://maps.apple.com/imagecollection/locations/us):
> “Alongside enhancing Apple Maps and the algorithms that obscure faces and license plates in images released in the Look Around feature, Apple will also leverage blurred imagery captured during surveys conducted starting in March 2025 to develop and refine other Apple products and services. This encompasses utilizing data to train models that drive Apple products and services, including models related to image recognition, generation, and enhancement.”
This indicates that Apple’s AI models, like those utilized in Image Playground and Clean Up, could gain from real-world imagery to bolster their capability to create and enhance visuals.
## How Apple Collects Mapping Data
For over a decade, Apple has been gathering mapping data through a mix of vehicle surveys, iPhones, iPads, and other gadgets. These initiatives guarantee that Apple Maps remains precise and current.
The company has also enforced privacy protocols, such as automatically obscuring faces and license plates in Look Around images. Furthermore, users have the option to request additional blurring of their residences or personal details if necessary.
## The Connection to Apple Intelligence
Apple’s choice to utilize Look Around data for AI training arrives at a moment when the company is making substantial investments in artificial intelligence. Recently, Apple has been focused on enhancing Siri and other AI-powered features through a broader initiative known as **Apple Intelligence**.
Notably, this alteration to Apple’s data collection practices follows reports indicating that Apple had postponed a significant Siri overhaul indefinitely. The company had initially hinted at a revolutionary AI-enhanced Siri but later acknowledged that the feature was still under development.
As Apple restructures its AI endeavors, including changes in leadership within its AI and Siri divisions, the integration of Look Around data into AI training points to Apple seeking new avenues to improve its machine learning models.
## What This Means for Users
For users of Apple Maps, this adjustment is unlikely to produce immediate changes. The Look Around feature will continue to operate as normal, and Apple will uphold its privacy protections. However, in the longer term, this data collection might result in enhancements in AI-driven features throughout Apple’s ecosystem, such as improved image recognition, advanced photo editing tools, and more lifelike AI-generated visuals.
Apple’s intensifying focus on AI corresponds with industry trends, as organizations like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI persist in challenging the limits of artificial intelligence. By utilizing genuine imagery from its mapping vehicles, Apple is strategically positioning itself to compete in the swiftly changing AI arena.
## Final Thoughts
Apple’s decision to deploy Look Around data for AI training emphasizes the company’s dedication to propelling artificial intelligence forward while keeping its commitment to privacy and security. As Apple Intelligence continues to progress, users can anticipate an increase in AI-driven features throughout Apple’s ecosystem, ranging from enhancements to Siri to upgraded image processing tools.
With AI’s significance in technology continually rising, Apple’s latest initiative is a clear signal that the company is getting ready for a future where artificial intelligence is intricately embedded into its products and services.
