Google is forming a new team within its AI research lab, Google DeepMind, to develop AI models that can simulate the physical world. The team, led by Tim Brooks, one of the co-leads on OpenAI's video generator Sora, will focus on creating massive generative models that can simulate the world, with the ultimate goal of achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI).

Brooks announced the formation of the new team on X, a social media platform, and linked to job listings that provide more details about the team's mission. According to the job descriptions, the team will collaborate with and build on work from Google's Gemini, Veo, and Genie teams to tackle "critical new problems" and scale models "to the highest levels of compute."

The Genie team, in particular, has made significant progress in developing AI models that can simulate games and 3D environments in real-time. The latest Genie model, previewed last December, can generate a massive variety of playable 3D worlds. The new team will aim to develop "real-time interactive generation" tools on top of the models they build, and study how to integrate their models with existing multimodal models such as Gemini.

The development of world models has significant implications for various industries, including entertainment, education, and robotics. Startups and big tech companies, including World Labs, Decart, and Odyssey, are also chasing after world models, which could one day be used to create interactive media, like video games and movies, and run realistic simulations like training environments for robots.

However, the development of world models also raises concerns about the impact on creative professionals. A recent Wired investigation found that game studios like Activision Blizzard are using AI to cut corners, ramp up productivity, and compensate for attrition, leading to layoffs and job disruptions. A 2024 study commissioned by the Animation Guild estimated that over 100,000 U.S.-based film, television, and animation jobs will be disrupted by AI by 2026.

Some startups in the nascent world modeling space, like Odyssey, have pledged to collaborate with creative professionals – not replace them. It remains to be seen whether Google will follow a similar approach. Additionally, there are unresolved issues surrounding copyright, as some world models appear to be trained on clips of video game playthroughs, which could lead to lawsuits in cases where the videos were unlicensed.

Google, which owns YouTube, asserts that it has permission to train its models on YouTube videos in accordance with the platform's terms of service. However, the company hasn't disclosed which specific videos it is sourcing for training, raising further questions about the use of copyrighted material.

As Google DeepMind's new team begins its work on developing AI models that simulate the physical world, it will be crucial to monitor their progress and address the concerns surrounding the impact on creative professionals and copyright issues. The development of world models has the potential to revolutionize various industries, but it is essential to ensure that it is done in a responsible and ethical manner.