Google’s new AI lets you walk, fly, and drive through your imagination
These worlds can range from realistic settings to fantasy locations
What would it feel like, to walk through a desert that you dreamed about? Or maybe, fly over the fantasy city you've always wanted to live in. Maybe, just maybe, you can drive through a forest, all created from a single sentence. Google DeepMind’s new experiment, Project Genie, is trying to make that possible.
Announced on January 29 via Google’s Innovation and AI blog, Project Genie is an experimental research prototype that turns simple text or image prompts into interactive, explorable virtual worlds.
What exactly is Project Genie?
Project Genie is powered by Genie 3, Google DeepMind’s latest “world model” AI. Unlike traditional image or video generators, Genie 3 creates environments that respond to your actions in real time. You can move through these worlds by walking, flying, or driving, while the AI generates what comes next on the fly.
According to Google, these worlds can range from realistic settings, like forests and deserts, to more imaginative, fantasy-style environments.
Why this is a big deal
World models like Genie 3 represent a shift in AI research. Instead of producing static images or short clips, they aim to simulate living, changing environments that maintain continuity and logic as users explore them.
Google DeepMind unveiled Genie 3 in 2025, calling it a breakthrough because it can sustain interactive worlds for several minutes, rather than just a few seconds.
What you can do inside Genie
According to Google’s blog, Project Genie includes:
World sketching: Create worlds using text prompts or images
World exploration: Move freely as the AI generates new terrain in real time
World remixing: Modify or combine worlds and download them as videos
As Google explains, “Unlike static 3D snapshots, Genie 3 generates the path ahead in real time as you move and interact with the world.”
Who can try it?
For now, Project Genie is available only to Google AI Ultra subscribers in the United States aged 18 and above. Google has said it plans to expand access later.
What are the limitations?
Google is upfront that Project Genie is still experimental. Current limitations include:
Worlds may not perfectly match prompts
Some character controls can feel limited
Sessions currently last up to 60 seconds
Advanced features like major world-changing events aren’t live yet
Feedback from early users will shape future updates.
The big picture
Project Genie arrives as competition heats up in generative AI. Companies like OpenAI, Meta, and World Labs are also investing heavily in spatial intelligence, AI systems that understand and generate 3D environments.
As DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis wrote on X:
“Create entire playable worlds to explore in real time just from a simple text prompt—kind of mindblowing really.”
That just might be the understatement of the year.
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