Google DeepMind Lead Researchers on Genie 3 & the Future of World-Building

Genie 3 can generate fully interactive, persistent worlds from just text, in real time.

In this episode, Google DeepMind’s Jack Parker-Holder (Research Scientist) and Shlomi Fruchter (Research Director) join Anjney Midha, Marco Mascorro, and Justine Moore of a16z, with host Erik Torenberg, to discuss how they built it, the breakthrough “special memory” feature, and the future of AI-powered gaming, robotics, and world models.

They share:

• How Genie 3 generates interactive environments in real time
• Why its “special memory” feature is such a breakthrough
• The evolution of generative models and emergent behaviors
• Instruction following, text adherence, and model comparisons
• Potential applications in gaming, robotics, simulation, and more
• What’s next: Genie 4, Genie 5, and the future of world models
   

This conversation offers a first-hand look at one of the most advanced world models ever created.

Timecodes: 

0:00 Introduction & The Magic of Genie 3

0:41 Real-Time World Generation Breakthroughs

1:22 The Team’s Journey: From Genie 1 to Genie 3

5:03 Interactive Applications & Use Cases

8:03 Special Memory and World Consistency

12:29 Emergent Behaviors and Model Surprises

18:37 Instruction Following and Text Adherence

19:53 Comparing Genie 3 and Other Models

21:25 The Future of World Models & Modality Convergence

27:35 Downstream Applications and Open Questions

31:42 Robotics, Simulation, and Real-World Impact

39:33 Closing Thoughts & Philosophical Reflections

Resources:

Find Shlomi on X: https://x.com/shlomifruchter

Find Jack on X: https://x.com/jparkerholder

Find Anjney on X: https://x.com/anjneymidha

Find Justine on X: https://x.com/venturetwins

Find Marco on X: https://x.com/Mascobot

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