Odyssey, the new AI startup launched by self-driving pioneers Oliver Cameron and Jeff Hawke, is building a future where videos are no longer passive. Instead, viewers can step into them. Through its early web-based demo, Odyssey is offering a first look at what it calls “interactive video,” powered by a breakthrough AI model that streams predictive frames in real-time.
Blurring the Line Between Video and Virtual Worlds
Unlike traditional video, Odyssey’s system allows users to navigate inside a stream — similar to how you might move through a 3D video game. Every 40 milliseconds, the AI model generates a new frame, predicting what comes next based on prior states, actions, and environmental context. The result is a dynamic, immersive experience where viewers can explore different paths in real-time.
In a blog post, Odyssey explains that its “world model” is designed to generate realistic pixels, preserve spatial continuity, and deliver coherent scenes that last up to five minutes or more. Though still early in development, this tech represents a bold shift in how we think about media — especially as startups and tech giants alike race to develop world modeling systems. Rivals include DeepMind, Microsoft, Fei-Fei Li’s World Labs, and Decart, all hoping to use similar models for applications ranging from games and movies to robotic training environments.
But Odyssey is quick to address one of the biggest fears surrounding this tech: that it could replace human creatives. Instead, the company emphasizes its commitment to collaboration, stating that interactive video isn’t about automation—it’s about enabling new types of storytelling.
“Over time, we believe everything that is video today—entertainment, ads, education, training, travel, and more—will evolve into interactive video, all powered by Odyssey,” the company wrote.
It’s Not Perfect Yet but the Vision Is Big
Odyssey’s demo, as it stands, is far from flawless. Environments often appear distorted and blurry, with visual inconsistencies as users explore. Moving forward or turning around can trigger sudden shifts in the scene layout, breaking immersion.
Still, Odyssey sees this as just the beginning. The current model runs at up to 30 frames per second, powered by clusters of Nvidia’s H100 GPUs, with each “user-hour” of video generation costing between $1 and $2. The startup says it’s actively refining stability and scene persistence, and is also expanding the system’s “action space” — enabling not just movement but deeper world interaction.
What sets Odyssey apart from other AI labs is its custom-built, 360-degree backpack-mounted camera system. By capturing real-world landscapes in ultra-high fidelity, the startup aims to train models that far exceed what’s possible using only publicly scraped data.
In fact, Odyssey isn’t stopping at video streaming. The team is developing tools to let creators export AI-generated scenes into professional platforms like Unreal Engine, Blender, and Adobe After Effects — making it easier to tweak and refine interactive environments for films, games, or virtual experiences.
To date, the company has raised $27 million from top-tier investors including EQT Ventures, GV, and Air Street Capital. Notably, Ed Catmull — co-founder of Pixar and former president of Walt Disney Animation Studios — sits on Odyssey’s board, adding serious creative firepower to the mission.
Whether Odyssey’s vision becomes the next evolution of media or remains an ambitious prototype, one thing is clear: the boundaries of video, AI, and storytelling are rapidly dissolving.
