Google DeepMind has introduced Project Genie, a research prototype that explores how artificial intelligence can generate interactive digital worlds as users move through them. The project is now rolling out to Google AI Ultra subscribers in the United States (18+), offering early access to an experimental glimpse of next-generation AI environments.
Unlike traditional virtual spaces that rely on fixed maps or pre-built scenes, Project Genie uses a real-time AI system to create environments dynamically. As users explore, the world unfolds continuously, responding to movement, perspective, and interaction rather than following a predetermined design.
Project Genie is powered by Genie 3, DeepMind’s general-purpose world model. World models are designed to simulate how environments change over time and how actions influence outcomes, important for advancing more adaptable and general AI systems that can operate across a wide range of scenarios.
Instead of rendering a complete environment in advance, Genie 3 predicts what should exist next, generating terrain, objects, and interactions on demand. This allows for more flexible simulations that can be applied to creative media, research, training, and system modeling.
The prototype focuses on three core interactions:
- Creation – Users define worlds using text prompts and images, setting the environment, characters, and how they move through the space.
- Exploration – Worlds are navigated freely, with the AI generating new areas in real time as users move.
- Adaptation – Existing worlds can be modified or reimagined, allowing users to build on prior ideas or experiment with variations.
Users can also export short videos of their explorations, supporting creative sharing and documentation.
It’s rolling out now to Google AI Ultra subscribers in the United States, and while it’s still early days, it offers a real glimpse into the capabilities of AI-generated environments with potential applications in robotics training, simulation, and beyond.
As an experimental system, Project Genie includes intentional constraints. Generated environments may not always align perfectly with real-world physics or user instructions, and character control can be inconsistent. World generation sessions are currently time-limited, reflecting the system’s research-focused nature. From a security and responsible AI standpoint, these boundaries help reduce risk while allowing Google DeepMind to observe how the technology is used in practice.
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