Individuals who are blind or have low vision regularly use assistive technology to navigate spaces on smartphones. These tools affect each person’s sense of independence, and this sensibility changes throughout a person’s day as they move through environments. Multiple studies document the meaning of independence for blind and low vision people (BLVP) in their homes, neighbourhoods, and unfamiliar locations. Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly combined with assistive technology (AT) to strengthen independence. As the technology rapidly evolves, revisiting literature with intimate perspectives on independence may clarify key uses for AI as Generative AI (GenAI) aims to enhance navigation. To address the specific needs of each individual, our project encourages developers to integrate AI so that the end-user can be a programmer. The end-user being the person with a disability, or their support persons. This study contributes longform first-person descriptions of lived experience to literature about AI-powered AT, insight into the types of GPS-navigation functionalities needed by BLVP, emphasises that more privacy is required, suggests end-user improvements, and contains demonstrations of how people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) navigate with blindness.