Is 3D Gen AI Finally Here?

Will 2024 mark a transformative year for 3D generative AI?

Google’s AI division, DeepMind, unveiled Genie 2, an advanced AI model that creates immersive, interactive 3D worlds from simple text or image prompts. Building on its predecessor, Genie, this new model opens exciting possibilities for gaming, digital art, and research.

With a text prompt like "a warrior in snow.," Genie 2 can generate an expansive 3D environment, complete with realistic lighting and physics-based interactions, such as swimming or object manipulation. 

By combining DeepMind's Imagen3 for visual fidelity and an auto-regressive process for dynamic, interactive scenes, Genie 2 pushes the boundaries of real-time content creation. This model's applications extend beyond gaming—it's a powerful tool for digital design and creative storytelling.

While AI-generated 3D worlds are still constrained by hardware limitations and rendering times, Genie 2 represents a major step toward democratizing 3D content production. Whether for businesses exploring virtual environments or consumers seeking personalized gaming experiences, the era of accessible 3D generative AI is drawing closer.

How will this technology shape industries beyond entertainment? For now, the machines at our disposal are not powerful enough to fully realize its potential. We could soon aim for more detailed and improved outputs for large-scale 3D environment generation through simple text or reference images. However, generative AI for producing perfect 3D models is still significantly more primitive—about 100 times—than image-generation models. In the coming years, we may witness more impactful innovations from industry leaders.