Google’s Project Genie now incorporates Street View imagery for virtual worlds

Earlier this year, Google launched Project Genie, an AI model capable of generating diverse, interactive world environments from user prompts. Users can let their imagination go wild with the prompts, but if you want something a bit more grounded in reality, Google is now bringing together Project Genie’s generative powers with real-world imagery from Google Maps’ Street View.

With Project Genie’s Street View upgrade, AI agents and robots now have a virtual environment that they can navigate and interact with the complexities of the real world. Users will also be able to leverage real-world imagery to explore their favorite spots, or even reimagine them with a creative twist.

Within Project Genie, users can now tap the Maps pin to choose a place in the US. They can then optionally select a style for their world, like “Desert Sands” or “Stone Age.” The next step in the process involves describing the character for exploration. Project Genie will use all of this information to create an imaginative world with its starting location tied to Street View’s real-world imagery.

Street View imagery in Project Genie is now available for places in the US, with plans to expand to more places over time.

Alongside the announcement, Google is also expanding access to Project Genie beyond the US. Starting today, Project Genie (including its new Street View capability) will gradually roll out to all eligible Google AI Ultra $200 subscribers worldwide, provided they are 18 years or older.

Google notes that Project Genie is still an experimental research prototype in Google Labs. The company continues working behind the scenes to make the details even sharper and more accurate.