If you want a glimpse at how far AI video generation has come since 2023, look no further than the "Will Smith eating spaghetti" test, which has basically become the Hello World of generative AI.
In a video from a Reddit user on the r/OpenAI subreddit, the post shows the evolution of the test — from its humble beginnings as a monstrous, pixelated mess to something far more cinematic, even if you can still tell it’s AI. This version was made using the Kling 3.0 video generator, developed by Chinese tech company Kuaishou Technology. In it, Will Smith is seen at a dinner table not just eating spaghetti, but actually talking with a younger man seated across from him.
They discuss the capabilities of Kling AI to create videos like the one you’re watching, making it pretty clear that this is an ad. Still, it offers a striking look at just how much generative video has matured in a remarkably short period of time. Three years isn’t that long — though, in AI terms, it kind of is.
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If you recall, the very first version of AI Will Smith eating spaghetti was made with ModelScope and could barely keep the actor’s face consistent from one frame to the next. By the following year, the video — and countless variations of it — had taken off as a meme, to the point that Smith himself poked fun at it, before later being caught using generative AI for a TikTok video of his own. Here's an example of the test in Veo 3.1 from last year.
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Among today’s major players in video generation, like Grok and OpenAI, passing the spaghetti test has become much harder. These companies have put extremely strict guardrails in place around third-party likenesses and copyrighted material, especially as Hollywood continues to crack down on AI models trained on its IP.
Mashable attempted to recreate the test using OpenAI’s Sora and Google Gemini’s Veo 3.1, but both attempts were denied on copyright grounds. For now, it seems that as more AI generators — particularly U.S.-based ones — pull back on the use of third-party likenesses, the spaghetti test may finally be nearing the end of the line.
Topics Artificial Intelligence
Chance Townsend is the General Assignments Editor at Mashable, covering tech, video games, dating apps, digital culture, and whatever else comes his way. He has a Master's in Journalism from the University of North Texas and is a proud orange cat father. His writing has also appeared in PC Mag and Mother Jones.
In his free time, he cooks, loves to sleep, and greatly enjoys Detroit sports. If you have any tips or want to talk shop about the Lions, you can reach out to him on Bluesky @offbrandchance.bsky.social or by email at [email protected].
