Forget webcams — Google's Project Starline supercharges video calls with AI

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This could be huge for remote workers

Project Starline prototype demo
(Image credit: Google)

Google’s Project Starline, a videoconferencing system meant to make people in virtual meetings feel as if they’re in front of each other, is getting an AI upgrade.

The announcement was made during Google’s annual I/O conference this week and marks yet another aspect of the company's product offering being infused with AI. 

How it works

“Our earlier prototype relied on several cameras and sensors to produce a live 3D image of the remote person," explained Google engineer İrem Öz in a teaser video for Project Starline. 

"In our new prototype, we have developed a breakthrough AI technique that learns to create a person's 3D likeness and image using only a few standard cameras.”

The latest version of Starline uses advanced AI to build a photorealistic model of a person “and projects that onto a light field display with a unique sense of volume and depth”, according to a Google blog.

Since it was first revealed back in 2021, Project Starline has been meant as a new form of video communication, giving people the sense that whoever they’re calling is right in the room with them. It does this by combining a holographic image with spatial audio.

Project Starline is yet to be released to consumers but it's been tested by select partners like Salesforce, T-Mobile, and WeWork as part of an early access program. Google says its system “is helping them build more personal connections through the distance.”

What to expect

Project Starline in an office booth

Early Starline prototypes took up an entire room and required specialist hardware (Image credit: Google)

Google’s research on Project Starline looks promising. Tests have shown that conversations between participants had a more natural back-and-forth compared to the more rigid turn-taking in traditional video calls.

Participants also reported a significantly better ability to perceive and convey nonverbal cues in Project Starline.

Better flow and nonverbal communication led people to feel that Project Starline conversations felt more natural. Apparently, the AI-charged video calls also felt less tiring.

Nonetheless, it's useful to remember that Project Starline was introduced to a 2021 world that still had the coronavirus pandemic influencing key decisions. Now, with reports signalling an end to the remote working era and uncertain economic outlooks, it remains to be seen whether companies will readily invest in fancy 3D video calls while some people still struggle with filters and the mute button.

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Christoph Schwaiger
Christoph Schwaiger

Christoph Schwaiger is a journalist, mainly covering technology, health, and current affairs. His stories have been published by Tom's Guide, Live Science, New Scientist, and the Global Investigative Journalism Network, among other outlets. Christoph has appeared on LBC and Times Radio. Additionally, he previously served as a National President for Junior Chamber International (JCI), a global leadership organization, and graduated cum laude from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands with an MA in journalism. You can follow him on X (Twitter) @cschwaigermt.