Imagine a world where Will Smith, or rather, an AI-generated version of him, sits down to enjoy a plate of spaghetti in 2026. Sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, right? But this isn’t fiction—it’s a real test of how far AI video generation has come. And let me tell you, the results are both mind-blowing and a little unsettling.
If you’re curious about the progress of generative AI, look no further than the infamous 'Will Smith eating spaghetti' challenge. This quirky test has become the Hello World of AI video generation, showcasing just how much the technology has evolved since 2023. A Reddit user on the r/OpenAI subreddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/OpenAI/comments/1r05mrj/3yearsofaiprogress/) recently shared a video that tracks this evolution—from its cringe-worthy, pixelated beginnings to a version so polished it almost feels cinematic. Spoiler alert: it’s still clearly AI, but the leap is undeniable.
This latest iteration was created using Kling 3.0, a video generator developed by Chinese tech giant Kuaishou Technology. In the clip, Will Smith isn’t just eating spaghetti—he’s engaged in a conversation with a younger man across the table. And here’s where it gets controversial: the dialogue revolves around the capabilities of Kling AI, making it pretty obvious this is a promotional ad. But hey, it’s still a stunning demonstration of how quickly generative video has matured in just three years. In the world of AI, that’s practically an eternity.
Remember the first version of AI Will Smith eating spaghetti? Created with ModelScope (https://www.reddit.com/r/StableDiffusion/comments/1244h2c/willsmitheating_spaghetti/), it was a hot mess, with the actor’s face morphing unnaturally from frame to frame. Fast forward a year, and the video had become a full-blown meme, even catching the attention of Will Smith himself, who hilariously poked fun at it on TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@willsmith/video/7337480720115371295). Ironically, Smith later used generative AI in one of his own TikTok videos (https://mashable.com/article/will-smith-tour-video-appears-to-use-fake-ai-crowd-viewers-say). Talk about coming full circle! For a glimpse of last year’s progress, check out this example using Veo 3.1 (https://x.com/aisearchio/status/1978465562821898461).
Note: The Tweet linked above may not be available at the moment.
Today, passing the spaghetti test is no small feat, especially for industry leaders like Grok and OpenAI. These companies have implemented strict guardrails (https://mashable.com/article/openai-restricting-sora-depictions-of-people-due-to-safety-concerns) to prevent the use of third-party likenesses and copyrighted material. And this is the part most people miss: Hollywood is cracking down hard on AI models trained on its intellectual property (https://mashable.com/article/disney-cease-and-desist-google-ai). When Mashable tried to recreate the test using OpenAI’s Sora and Google Gemini’s Veo 3.1, both attempts were blocked due to copyright concerns. As U.S.-based AI generators increasingly shy away from using third-party likenesses (https://mashable.com/article/lebron-james-cease-and-desist-ai-pregnancy-videos), it seems the spaghetti test might be on its way out.
But here’s the big question: Is this progress a step forward or a step too far? As AI becomes more sophisticated, where do we draw the line between innovation and ethical concerns? Let us know what you think in the comments—this is one debate that’s just getting started.
