Google DeepMind has recently introduced Genie 2, a large-scale foundation world model that has the ability to generate a wide range of playable 3D environments. This model is designed to facilitate the development of embodied AI agents by transforming a single image into interactive virtual worlds that can be explored using standard keyboard and mouse controls. According to Google DeepMind, Genie 2 has the potential to enable future agents to be trained and evaluated in an unlimited number of novel worlds, paving the way for new and creative workflows for prototyping interactive experiences.
In a blog post, Google DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis announced the launch of Genie 2, stating that “the world model is taking shape.” This was followed by a post on X by Elon Musk, who replied with a simple “Cool.” Hassabis responded by thanking Musk and suggesting that they should collaborate on an AI game together. Musk, who is known for his love for gaming, recently shared that his company xAI is starting an AI-based game studio, with the aim of making games great again.
Interestingly, during a surprise appearance on the Joe Rogan Podcast, Musk revealed that he is one of the top 20 players of the popular game ‘Diablo 4’ worldwide. He also shared that as an intern many summers ago, he wrote software for video games at a company called Rocket Science, long before he founded SpaceX. While Musk is currently focused on projects like FSD and Optimus, he has expressed interest in pivoting towards video games and entertainment in the future.
In a recent tweet, Musk shared that Tesla has been doing real-world video generation with accurate physics for about a year. When a user suggested that Tesla should make a video game, Musk responded by saying that he has wanted to do that for a long time. However, he believes that making a game can only come after they release unsupervised FSD, which is far safer than supervised FSD.
In addition to its plans for a game studio, xAI is also expanding its Colossus Supercomputer in Memphis, which is already the world’s largest with 100,000 GPUs. The company is investing tens of billions to add more than 1 million GPUs, as revealed by the Greater Memphis Chamber. xAI is also preparing to launch a standalone app for its Grok AI chatbot, expected to be released in December 2024, to compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.
In conclusion, Google DeepMind’s Genie 2 has the potential to revolutionize the development of embodied AI agents by providing a limitless curriculum of virtual worlds for training and evaluation. With the support of Elon Musk and xAI’s plans for expansion and innovation, the future of AI and gaming looks promising.
