Google DeepMind Lead Researchers on Genie 3 & the Future of World-Building
The a16z Show16 Aug 2025

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

Stay Updated:

Let us know what you think: https://ratethispodcast.com/a16z

Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z

Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z

Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/

Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg

Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

Stay Updated:

Find a16z on YouTube: YouTube

Find a16z on X

Find a16z on LinkedIn

Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify

Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts

Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg

Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episoder(1000)

a16z Podcast: All Things Compensation

a16z Podcast: All Things Compensation

Compensation is a topic near and dear to everyone’s heart… but what does “compensation” fully mean — and what does it include, what doesn’t it include? How do entrepreneurs compete for talent in an in...

21 Jun 201839min

a16z Podcast: Construction Under Tech -- The Build

a16z Podcast: Construction Under Tech -- The Build

with Martin Fischer (@fischermartin), Saurabh Ladha (@ladhasaurabh), Chris Rippingham, and Hanne Tidnam (@omnivorousread) Continuing our series on how tech is changing construction -- one of the indus...

14 Jun 201836min

a16z Podcast: Construction Under Tech -- Info Flows

a16z Podcast: Construction Under Tech -- Info Flows

with Greg Lynn (@greglynnform), Gina Neff (@ginasue), Tracy Young (@Tracy_Young), and Hanne Tidnam (@omnivorousread) Construction has been one of the industries most resistant to innovation and change...

13 Jun 201832min

a16z Podcast: The End (and Beginning) of Programming

a16z Podcast: The End (and Beginning) of Programming

There are over 20 million programmers out there -- and double that, if you count everyone else coding in other ways -- but where are the next 100 million developers? How do we get to a billion develop...

8 Jun 201819min

a16z Podcast: The Hard Things about Security

a16z Podcast: The Hard Things about Security

Here's the hard thing about security: the more authentication factors you have, the more secure things are... but in practice, people won't use too many factors, because they want ease of use. There's...

6 Jun 201833min

a16z Podcast: Autonomy in Service

a16z Podcast: Autonomy in Service

with Gregory Allen (@Gregory_C_Allen), Gayle Lemmon (@gaylelemmon), Ryan Tseng, and Hanne Tidnam (@omnivorousread) We now live in a world where connecting the dots between intel and modeling threats h...

25 Mai 201828min

a16z Podcast: When Journalism Goes Global

a16z Podcast: When Journalism Goes Global

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists is the organization responsible for the compilation and release of the first the Panama Papers, a series of 11.5 million documents that detail...

23 Mai 201823min

a16z Podcast: B2B2C

a16z Podcast: B2B2C

When it comes to B2B2C business models -- which combine both business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) -- who really "owns" the customer? That question might not matter as much in more...

18 Mai 201829min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

stopp-verden
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
dine-penger-pengeradet
e24-podden
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
finansredaksjonen
pengepodden-2
pengesnakk
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
rss-sunn-okonomi
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
utbytte
stormkast-med-valebrokk-stordalen
lederpodden
rss-markedspuls-2
liberal-halvtime
rss-politisk-preik
okonomiamatorene