How to Explore and Simulate Real-World Places Using AI

Imagine trying to book a holiday rental or plan a walking route in a city you have never visited, only to find yourself squinting at flat, outdated photos online. Now, generative AI (software that can create new content, like text, images, or 3D environments, from simple instructions) is changing how we experience places before we ever step foot there.

By combining map data with smart imagery tools, you can now generate realistic simulations of physical locations right from your computer or phone. Here is how this technology works and how you can use it in your daily life.

Bringing maps to life with AI

For years, we have used street-level photography to preview destinations. However, these images are static and only show a single moment in time.

New developments in multimodal AI (an AI system that can understand and combine different types of information, such as text, photos, and geography, all at once) allow us to build a spatial simulation. Think of a spatial simulation as a virtual, interactive 3D model of a real-world location that you can explore on your screen as if you were walking through a video game.

Rather than just looking at a photo, the AI uses existing images to estimate depth, lighting, and 3D shapes. It then fills in the gaps to let you move smoothly through the space, change the time of day, or even alter the weather to see how a location looks under different conditions.

How to simulate and explore your next destination

While some of these advanced features are currently rolling out to premium AI subscribers, you can start using spatial exploration tools with these simple steps:

1. Identify your target location: Enter an address or landmark into your AI assistant or advanced mapping tool.
2. Describe what you want to experience: Use simple, natural language prompts (the instructions you type into the AI). For example, you can ask: "Show me what this street looks like during a rainy evening," or "Simulate a walk from the train station to this hotel cafe."
3. Interact with the environment: Use your mouse or touch screen to pan, tilt, and glide through the generated space. The AI will render the surroundings on the fly, creating a seamless view of the streetscape.

Wrap-up

By turning static, flat maps into living digital worlds, AI makes exploring our planet easier and much more interactive. To take your first step today, open up a digital map of a landmark you have always wanted to visit, switch to the 3D or immersive view, and start exploring the world from the comfort of your living room.