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Recently, companies in the AI sector have been exploring the creation of interactive, AI-generated environments. Notable examples include AI versions of Quake and Minecraft. Google DeepMind is also forming a team to create models designed to “simulate the world.” Now, an AI startup founded with the backing of Pixar co-founder Edwin Catmull is putting a unique twist on this concept, introducing what it calls “interactive video,” currently available to experience in a research preview.

The startup, Odyssey, describes its interactive video on its website as “video that allows you to both watch and interact with, generated entirely by AI in real-time.” The concept resembles a first-person video game but set in environments that mirror the real world rather than being constructed from polygons. Odyssey promotes it as a “beta version of the Holodeck,” all while admitting that “the experience feels like navigating a glitchy dream—raw, unstable, but undeniably innovative.”

In practice, Odyssey’s interactive videos evoke the sensation of traversing a distorted version of Google Street View. You can navigate the startup’s dynamically generated worlds using WASD keys, akin to gameplay. A variety of settings are available for exploration, including a forested area with a cabin, a shopping mall, and a parking lot in front of a significant building. Each experience is slightly different, as the system regenerates the visuals every time you play, although the overall image quality tends to be quite unclear.

Currently, users can explore the preview for a maximum of two and a half minutes before it halts, but reloading allows you to jump back into the experience at any time.

Odyssey is leveraging clusters of H100 GPUs in the US and Europe to produce the interactive videos. According to their website, “Based on previous inputs and frame history, the model predicts what the subsequent frame should look like, streaming it back to you in real-time,” with this entire process reportedly occurring in “as little as” 40 milliseconds.

For the time being, this preview isn’t likely to dethrone established titles like Fortnite. Collision detection can be inconsistent; for example, I was blocked by a fence yet passed right through a large house. During another attempt, I walked down some stairs only to see the doorway ahead transform into a solid brick wall. Additionally, the preview exhibits odd behavior when stationary; in one case, I remained still and found myself slowly turning left while edging closer to a wall.