Google DeepMind has introduced Genie 3, a new AI model designed to create interactive 3D environments in real time.

Genie 3, which is not yet available to the public, can generate several minutes of diverse, photo-realistic or imaginary worlds based on simple text prompts.

The model builds on earlier DeepMind research and operates at 24 frames per second with 720p resolution.

Genie 3 supports “promptable world events,” allowing users to change environments through text instructions, and maintains physical consistency in its simulations by recalling previous states.

DeepMind researchers said the model does not use a hard-coded physics engine but learns object interactions by referencing past outputs frame by frame.

Current limitations include a restricted range of agent actions, challenges in simulating complex multi-agent interactions, and a maximum of a few minutes of continuous simulation.

DeepMind views Genie 3 as a significant step toward developing AI agents capable of learning and planning in simulated real-world scenarios.

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🔗 Source: TechCrunch

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ DeepMind’s systematic progression from narrow game mastery to general world simulation

Genie 3 represents the latest step in DeepMind’s methodical approach to building increasingly general AI systems.

The company began in 2010 by training AI to play Atari games like Space Invaders and Breakout using reinforcement learning from raw pixel data1. This evolved into AlphaGo defeating professional Go players in 2016, followed by AlphaGo Zero learning the game entirely through self-play within just three days2.

Each breakthrough built on the previous one’s core principles. The same reinforcement learning that mastered simple arcade games became the foundation for conquering Go’s complexity.

Now Genie 3 applies similar self-learning principles to generate interactive environments from text prompts, moving beyond specific games to simulating broader scenarios.

This progression reflects DeepMind’s consistent strategy of proving AI capabilities in constrained domains before expanding to more general applications, validating each technical approach before scaling it up.

2️⃣ The search for AI’s next “Move 37 moment” in embodied intelligence

DeepMind’s reference to needing a “Move 37 moment for embodied agents” reveals the gap between current AI achievements and truly autonomous behavior.

The original Move 37 occurred in 2016 when AlphaGo played an unconventional move against world champion Lee Sedol that initially seemed like a mistake but proved brilliant1. This moment demonstrated AI’s ability to discover strategies beyond human understanding.

However, that breakthrough happened in the controlled environment of a board game with clear rules and objectives.

Genie 3’s current limitations highlight why embodied AI remains challenging—agents can only interact for a few minutes and have restricted action sets, far from the autonomous exploration needed for general intelligence.

The company’s acknowledgment that they haven’t achieved this breakthrough yet suggests that creating AI agents capable of novel real-world actions remains significantly more complex than mastering even sophisticated games like Go.

Recent Google developments

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