Israeli Startup Decart Unveils AI That Generates Minecraft-Like Gameplay in Real Time
Decart launches Oasis, an AI "world model" that simulates a playable, Minecraft-inspired game environment entirely on the fly. The technology currently struggles with low resolution and short-term memory but shows potential for future high-fidelity AI-generated gaming.
Decart, an Israeli AI startup, emerges from stealth with $21 million in funding to introduce Oasis, a playable "open-world" AI model. The system generates a Minecraft-like game environment entirely on the fly by taking in keyboard and mouse inputs and producing real-time video frames. Trained on footage of Minecraft gameplay, the AI simulates physics, game rules, and graphics without relying on a traditional game engine.
The current demo showcases the potential of AI "world models" but reveals significant limitations in its early stage. The game runs at surprisingly high frame rates but suffers from low visual resolution and a poor short-term memory, causing the landscape to rearrange unexpectedly when a player turns around. Despite these flaws, Decart allows users to download the model and test a feature that generates custom worlds from uploaded images.
Decart plans to improve the technology rapidly, with future versions potentially supporting 4K resolution through optimized hardware like Etched's upcoming AI accelerator chips. The company envisions a future where AI generates dynamic game content based on user preferences or even audio and text prompts. However, the project raises unresolved copyright questions, as Decart admits it does not have Microsoft's blessing to train on Minecraft footage.