# Startup licenses video game data to train AI world models

> British startup Worldmodeldata is turning video game footage and player inputs into training data for AI systems that need to act in the physical world. The company says it has licensed nearly 1 million hours of game data.

Oossa · 2026-09-28 · https://oossa.com/en/startup-licenses-video-game-data-to-train-ai-world-models

Worldmodeldata, a British startup advised by AI researcher Yann LeCun, is gathering visual game footage and the button presses and controller movements that go with it. It plans to package the data for labs building “world models”—AI designed to understand how actions affect the physical world.

The company says it has licensed nearly 1 million hours of data from video game studios, but has not named them. The idea is that varied game situations could help train systems for tasks such as controlling robots or vehicles, though researchers have yet to prove that game data will transfer well to real-world work.

## The facts

- Worldmodeldata says it has licensed almost 1 million hours of game data.
- The startup is advised by Yann LeCun.

## Why it matters

If game data can help AI learn how actions change its surroundings, it could offer researchers a much larger source of training examples than hands-on demonstrations alone.

## Sources & references

1. [The Next Evolution of AI Is Learning From Your Dodgy Gaming Skills](https://www.wired.com/story/the-next-evolution-of-ai-is-learning-from-your-dodgy-gaming-skills/) – Wired, 2026-09-28

Last updated: 2026-09-28