FYI that uses their Live View to look at building and street view around you to better orient you. Kind of matches what you photo with what they know and orients you. Incredibly useful in places like Japan where you don’t have many readable street signs or dense urban canyons.
It has nothing to do with some crazy nefarious google plot.
Might be related but not the same thing as I've experienced. I'm in maps (not navigating, usually just selecting a location) and driving and I get a promote to improve the accuracy (similar to the one where you'd rotate your phone to calibrate the compass).
I am not trying to use AR and the prompt doesn't take me to AR, it just wants to scan the area with the camera and then its done.
It has nothing to do with some crazy nefarious google plot.