Beyond the Screen: Engineering AI Models for the Real World

About this session

In this session, Niantic CTO Brian McClendon skips the vision statements and dives straight into the challenges of building spatial intelligence and a Large Geospatial Model (LGM), drawing on his experience of building pioneering mapping technologies that have redefined how people and machines interact with the real world. He will discuss both the opportunities and the engineering hurdles as computer vision is applied to the chaotic, unconstrained variables of the physical world. Context: Why it mattersLLMs and world models built for simulation do not provide the level of understanding needed to interpret and navigate the real world. Solving the spatial intelligence problem is a prerequisite for everything from autonomous robotics to AI wearables, requiring engineers to build for algorithmic and scale computing challenges. Key takeaways: What you will learnYou will learn how the architectural principles that scaled Google Maps, Google Earth, and Pokémon GO are being rewired into modern AI world models.Call to action: Why you should attendIf you are an engineer tired of hype and want deep insights into the world’s most ambitious geospatial engine, this is the session for you.