Google Genie Integrates Street View, Simulating Real Streets as Interactive Worlds

Google DeepMind's world model Project Genie has integrated with Google Maps Street View, enabling real-world locations to be simulated as interactive 360-degree environments. The feature was announced at Google I/O 2026 on May 19.

How It Works

Users pick a location in the U.S. on the map, optionally select a visual style (like "Desert Sands" or "Stone Age"), and describe a character — a favorite animal, comic book hero, or claymation monster. Genie generates an interactive world anchored to Street View's real-world imagery. Turning 360 degrees, the AI correctly simulates what's behind you, maintaining environmental consistency throughout exploration.

Practical Use: Training Waymo's Robotaxis

Genie 3 is already powering one of Waymo's simulators to train self-driving cars on "exceedingly rare events" — tornadoes, elephant encounters, and other edge cases that are nearly impossible to collect in the real world. Adding Street View grounding could help Waymo prepare to expand into new cities more efficiently. Street View mode in Genie is launching first for Ultra subscribers in the United States, with global rollout to follow over the coming weeks.

Source: TechCrunch, Google DeepMind Blog