Google launches Project Genie: Create interactive worlds with AI
Google launched Project Genie on January 29, 2026, for Google AI Ultra subscribers aged 18 and older in the United States. This experimental research prototype, powered by the Genie 3 world model, Nano Banana Pro, and Gemini, enables users to create, explore, and remix interactive worlds using text prompts and images.
Diego Rivas, Product Manager at Google DeepMind, Elliot Breece, Product Manager at Google Labs, and Suzanne Chambers, Director at Google Creative Lab, oversee the project. The prototype functions as a web app, allowing direct experimentation with the underlying world model technology.
Genie 3 serves as the core power behind the prototype. It generates real-time paths as users move and interact within the environments. Users input text prompts alongside generated or uploaded images to build navigable worlds. The system supports sketching, exploration, and remixing of these creations.
In August, Google previewed Genie 3 to trusted testers. This general-purpose world model generates diverse, interactive environments. Testers created numerous worlds and identified new applications. Project Genie represents the next phase, broadening access through an interactive prototype centered on immersive world creation.
A world model simulates the dynamics of an environment. It predicts how the environment evolves and how user actions influence it. Google DeepMind maintains a history of developing agents for specific environments, such as Chess and Go. Extending this to general AI systems requires handling the diversity of the real world.
Project Genie centers on three core capabilities. World sketching allows users to prompt with text and images to create living, expanding environments. Users define their character, the world, and exploration modes, including walking, riding, flying, driving, or other actions. Integration with Nano Banana Pro provides preview and fine-tuning options before exploration begins. Users select character perspectives, either first-person or third-person, to shape the viewing experience.
World exploration turns the sketched environment into a navigable space. As users move, the system generates the path ahead in real time, responding to taken actions. Camera adjustments remain available during traversal, enabling dynamic navigation through the generated world.
World remixing lets users build new interpretations atop existing worlds by modifying their prompts. A gallery offers curated worlds for starting points, while a randomizer provides additional inspiration. Completed creations support video downloads capturing the worlds and explorations.
- World sketching: Prompt with text and generated or uploaded images to create a living, expanding environment. Create your character, your world, and define how you want to explore it—from walking to riding, flying to driving, and anything beyond. For more precise control, World Sketching is integrated with Nano Banana Pro, allowing preview and fine‑tuning before jumping in. You can also set the character perspective (first‑person or third‑person) to control the viewing experience.
- World exploration: Your world is a navigable environment waiting to be explored. As you move, Project Genie generates the path ahead in real time based on the actions you take. You can also adjust the camera while traversing the world.
- World remixing: Remix existing worlds into new interpretations by building on top of their prompts. Explore curated worlds in the gallery or use the randomizer for inspiration, then build on them. Once done, you can download videos of your worlds and explorations.
Project Genie operates as an experimental research prototype within Google Labs. Google emphasizes responsible development of AI systems to benefit humanity. As an early research model, Genie 3 exhibits specific areas needing improvement.
- Realism and adherence: Generated worlds might not look completely true-to-life or always adhere closely to prompts, images, or real-world physics.
- Character control: Characters can sometimes be less controllable or experience higher latency in control.
- Generation length: Generations are limited to 60 seconds.
Certain Genie 3 capabilities previewed in August remain absent from this prototype. Promptable events, which alter the world during exploration, fall into this category. Further details on model limitations and planned improvements appear in dedicated resources.
Building from trusted tester feedback, Google shares the prototype with Google AI Ultra subscribers to observe usage patterns in AI research and generative media. Access rollout starts on January 29, 2026, for eligible users in the United States. Expansion to additional territories follows in due course. Google intends to extend access to Project Genie and its world-building technology as development progresses.