Google introduces Project Genie virtual world generator – News

Google LLC today introduced Project Genie, a tool that makes it possible to generate three-dimensional virtual environments using prompts.

The tool is initially available in the U.S. to users with Google AI Ultra subscription. The $250-a-month plan offers several features not included in standard Google accounts. Users receive higher AI usage limits, 30 terabytes of cloud storage, and a faster version of the company’s Antigravity agentic coding tool.

Project Genie is based on a world model called Genie 3 that Google debuted in August. It can generate interactive 3D environments based on natural language instructions provided by the user. According to Google, the model renders virtual worlds with a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels at a rate of up to 24 frames per second.

Project Genie enables users to interact with an AI-generated environment for up to 60 seconds at a time. According to The Register, the underlying Genie 3 model is capable of powering significantly longer user sessions. That hints future updates to the tool may focus on increasing the maximum length of Project Genie interactions.

Users can create a virtual world by entering instructions into two input fields. The first text box takes a description of the 3D environment as input, while the other makes it possible to describe the avatar that will navigate the environment. Users can customize not only the rendering style but also the camera angle.

Project Genie turns user instructions into a preview sketch using Nano Banana Pro, an image generation model that Google released in November. The algorithm has several features that lend themselves well to virtual world rendering. One of them is its ability to turn relatively simple sketches into photorealistic 3D objects.

After Project Gemini generates a preview of a virtual world, users can customize it further by entering additional instructions. Alternatively, they can fine-tune one of the pre-packaged designs that Google provides with the tool. A download tool makes it possible to save virtual environment interactions as a video. 

“Your world is a navigable environment that’s waiting to be explored,” Google staffers Diego Rivas, Suz Chambers and Elliott Breece wrote in a blog post. “As you move, Project Genie generates the path ahead in real time based on the actions you take. You can also adjust the camera as you traverse through the world.”

Google plans to bring the tool to international markets down the road. Given that the company offers AI models through its public cloud, it’s possible that a version of Project Genie will eventually become available to developers via an application programming interface. The kind of virtual environments that Project Genie renders can be used to generate visual training data for AI projects.

Image: Google