AI startup creates 3D worlds from a single photo

While a lot of AI systems can turn a photo into 3D models and environments, the one created by World Labs is unique, interactive and modifiable. Founded by AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li, World Labs has unveiled a glimpse of their very first project, an AI system that can generate video game-like 3D scenes from a single image.

World Labs generates 3D environments you can explore

This innovative technology used by World Labs generates virtual spaces that you can explore in a web browser through laptops or desktops. The company claims to create three-dimensional environments rather than just pixels. This helps them to main stability, real-time control and follow correct geometry.

So far, World Labs has shown demo environments or “early preview”. Users can check out the available demo worlds on their website. To navigate through the demo worlds, users can use a mouse or keyboard. For the ones using a mouse, you can click and drag to explore the 3D world. On the keyboard, you can use the WASD keys to maneuver through the AI-generated environment.

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The company generated the initial 2D images using several AI tools like Flux 1.1 Pro, Ideogram, Midjourney, and DALL-E. The platform includes various camera features like adjustable depth of field and dynamic lighting that adds to the experience.

However, there are limitations to the current technology. After moving a few meters, users start hitting invisible barriers. At times, the system faces rendering problems and objects merge incorrectly. Since the technology is still in development phase, World Labs has not released a preview software or published any technical documentation with benchmarks yet.

Despite being in early development, World Labs has secured 230 million dollars in venture funding with the aim to develop “large world models” that are capable of understanding three-dimensional physical spaces. The company plans to launch its first commercial product in 2025. Hopefully, it can overcome the technical challenges by then.