The Information : Google’s World-Generating AI Product Causes Selloff in Videoga

Google’s World-Generating AI Product Causes Selloff in Videogame Stocks

Shares of videogame software creator Unity fell 24% Friday after Google unveiled Project Genie, a tool customers can use to create virtual worlds. Shares of other videogame-related firms Take Two and Roblox dropped 8% and 13%, respectively. The selloff likely wiped out tens of billions of dollars in equity value across various stocks.

The reaction to Google’s new product is yet another example of the acute sensitivity of equity investors to potential AI threats to traditional software—even if the threats are half-baked. For instance, Google called the product an “experimental research prototype” and said “generated worlds might not look completely true-to-life or always adhere closely to prompts or images, or real-world physics.” It added that “characters can sometimes be less controllable, or experience higher latency in control.”

Investors likely are considering the possibility that Google could quickly improve the product to the point where it can materially draw interest from videogame creators. For now, Google is including Project Genie in a large bundle of AI services for $249 a month.