ChatGPT Models Are Surprisingly Good At Geoguessing (techcrunch.com)
- Reference: 0177055965
- News link: https://yro.slashdot.org/story/25/04/17/1941258/chatgpt-models-are-surprisingly-good-at-geoguessing
- Source link: https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/17/the-latest-viral-chatgpt-trend-is-doing-reverse-location-search-from-photos/
> There's a somewhat concerning new trend going viral: People are [1]using ChatGPT to figure out the location shown in pictures . This week, OpenAI [2]released its newest AI models, o3 and o4-mini, both of which can uniquely "reason" through uploaded images. In practice, the models can crop, rotate, and zoom in on photos -- even blurry and distorted ones -- to thoroughly analyze them. These image-analyzing capabilities, paired with the models' ability to search the web, make for a potent location-finding tool. Users on X quickly discovered that o3, in particular, is quite good at deducing [3]cities , [4]landmarks , and even restaurants and bars from subtle visual clues.
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> In many cases, the models don't appear to be drawing on "memories" of past ChatGPT conversations, or [5]EXIF data , which is the metadata attached to photos that reveal details such as where the photo was taken. X is filled with examples of users giving ChatGPT [6]restaurant menus , [7]neighborhood snaps , [8]facades , and [9]self-portraits , and instructing o3 to imagine it's playing "GeoGuessr," an online game that challenges players to guess locations from Google Street View images. It's an obvious potential privacy issue. There's nothing preventing a bad actor from screenshotting, say, a person's Instagram Story and using ChatGPT to try to doxx them.
[1] https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/17/the-latest-viral-chatgpt-trend-is-doing-reverse-location-search-from-photos/
[2] https://slashdot.org/story/25/04/16/1925253/openai-unveils-o3-and-o4-mini-models
[3] https://x.com/k_kohlbrenner/status/1912728015760486626
[4] https://x.com/emollick/status/1912726124913623143
[5] https://x.com/datapoint2200/status/1912729205554524495
[6] https://x.com/deedydas/status/1912607561947230575
[7] https://x.com/swax/status/1912728143682760934
[8] https://x.com/izyuuumi/status/1912726186679226451
[9] https://x.com/vyrotek/status/1912702767531192392
Been an issue (Score:2)
"There's nothing preventing a bad actor from screenshotting, say, a person's Instagram Story and using ChatGPT to try to doxx them"
This has already been a thing before ChatGPT or other AI assistant tools. The only difference is now there is a bit more automation behind it. Luckily, AI is still really terrible with the hallucinations, so we're somewhat safe for now.
Google Already Does This (Score:2)
This is hardly surprising: Google maps has had a feature for at least a couple of years where if you scan your phone camera around you it can pinpoint exactly where you are and what direction you are facing.
Creepiess (Score:2)
Recently I fed one of these things a cell phone picture. Way in the distance, unknown to me at the time, was the logo for the shopping center I was at. The thing located the city and state, and the shopping center, and somehow figured out basically where I was in the shopping center. No, I didn't snap a photo of any store signs. Apparently in the distance was a trash can that had the logo for the shopping center, and there was a small map with a "you are here" indication on it. It magnified the photo and, I
Stop sharing everything (Score:4, Insightful)
If you want your life to be private STOP SHARING IT with the world.
If a person could look at a picture and say "hey! I recognize that place..." then a computer can do it faster and more reliably. It is not an invasion of privacy to recognize things. You shared it.
What you share is.. no longer private. If you want privacy, keep it to yourself.
You can live without the validation of other people liking your pics and posts, or you can accept that you have no privacy when you tell the world all your intimate details.
Basically (Score:2)
It's just automated, advanced, reverse image searching and OCR.
TV coming to life (Score:2)
All the stupid "enhance image" moments in police TV dramas may actually become real.
Great (Score:2)
Now I need to carry a green screen around with me.