Then vs. now: AI videos of Will Smith eating spaghetti show just how advanced the tech has gotten
In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, the capabilities of AI video generators have undergone a remarkable transformation in just two and a half years. The infamous “spaghetti test,” which humorously evaluates how well AI can depict Will Smith eating spaghetti, has become an unofficial benchmark for measuring advancements in this technology. Initially, a 2023 video generated by ModelScope showcased a poorly rendered Smith, whose exaggerated features and awkward movements left viewers bewildered. The video highlighted the early limitations of AI, as it struggled with basic realism, often producing bizarre anatomical errors like characters with extra fingers. This initial failure sparked a viral trend, with Smith himself poking fun at the situation in a TikTok video that echoed the cartoonish style of the AI-generated clip.
Fast forward to 2024, and the landscape of AI video generation is vastly different. New models like MiniMax and Google’s Veo 3 have significantly improved the realism of AI-generated videos, although they still grapple with minor imperfections—like Smith’s chewing appearing unnatural or noodles seemingly levitating. OpenAI’s Sora has emerged as a frontrunner in this space, praised for its lifelike video outputs. However, the technology’s rapid advancement has raised concerns among Hollywood and other rights holders, leading to legal actions aimed at protecting intellectual property. Notably, Cameo, a personalized video service, has taken legal action against OpenAI for its use of the term “cameos” in Sora. As the competition heats up, with companies like Elon Musk’s xAI entering the fray, the challenge of passing the spaghetti test may become increasingly complex, especially as lawmakers express alarm over AI’s ability to generate videos of public figures without their consent.
Despite the legal hurdles and ethical concerns, some brands are embracing AI video technology. Coca-Cola recently incorporated AI-generated content into their holiday advertising campaign, utilizing models like Sora and Veo 3 to create engaging visuals. This trend suggests a growing acceptance of AI’s role in creative processes, even as the industry navigates the challenges of rights management and authenticity. As AI video generation continues to advance, the spaghetti test serves as a humorous yet poignant reminder of how far we’ve come—and how much further we have to go—in the quest for realistic AI-generated content.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7GC_qee6E4
In just 2 and a half years, AI video generators have vastly improved when it comes to the informal test of showing Will Smith eating spaghetti.
Business Insider/Reddit/X
AI-generated video has come a long way.
In 2023, AI-generated videos went viral for depicting Will Smith eating spaghetti poorly.
OpenAI’s Sora and other models are coming close to passing the so-called spaghetti test.
It’s no longer your mom’s AI spaghetti.
In just two and a half years, AI video generation has progressed from struggling to depict
Will Smith eating spaghetti
to producing a lifelike video.
The unofficial benchmark test began in 2023 when a Reddit user posted a video of the Academy Award-winner eating spaghetti generated by ModelScope, a text-to-video AI model.
The initial results were horrifying. Will Smith looked nothing like his movie star self. Instead, he looked like a bad animation, complete with caricatured features that would be more at home on a tourist trap boardwalk. In some videos, he never actually consumed the spaghetti, failing to meet even the most basic premise of the test.
The failures highlighted the early limitations of AI-generated video and images, which sometimes produced people with 8 fingers or other anatomical imperfections.
Smith himself referenced the test in February 2024, posting a TikTok in which he ate spaghetti in almost as cartoonish a manner as the initial video.
@willsmith
This is getting out of hand!
#aivideo
#sora
♬ original sound – Will Smith
A lot has changed since then, as SkyNews and others have recently pointed out.
In 2024, MiniMax, a Chinese AI model, made a much more accurate representation, but AI Smith’s chewing was still off. And at the very end of the clip, the noodles appear to levitate. In May, a user posted on X that he used Google’s Veo 3 to generate a new video. The problem with this one is that the noodles AI Smith is chewing sound way too crunchy. A later Veo 3.1-generated video looks even more realistic.
Will Smith in Veo 3.1
pic.twitter.com/SuK9jky3NW
— ⚡AI Search⚡ (@aisearchio)
October 15, 2025
OpenAI’s Sora
is widely regarded as the best AI video generator on the market. In fact, it is so good that soon after the launch of Sora 2 and its accompanying TikTok-esque mobile app in September, the company was forced to add more guardrails on third-party likeness and copyrights after a series of high-profile incidents involving SpongeBob and Martin Luther King Jr.
Google and
Elon Musk
‘s xAI are racing to keep up. In July, xAI launched Grok Imagine, its text-to-video generator.
Passing the spaghetti test might be tougher now, as Hollywood and other rights holders intensify their efforts to prevent AI companies from infringing on their rights. Just days before Sora 2’s release, Disney, Universal, Warner Bros., and other rights holders filed suit in federal court against MiniMax.
Cameo, the personalized video company, sued OpenAI over its decision to name the core feature of the Sora app “cameos.” One of the reasons Sora can generate such high-quality videos, especially of non-public figures, is that users can upload facial scans to the app, which is the “cameo” feature. In November, a federal judge
temporarily blocked OpenAI
from using the word “cameo.”
Meanwhile, in Washington,
some lawmakers are appalled
that AI can now generate videos of them speaking words that they never once uttered.
Not everyone is shying away from AI video. Coca-Cola recently said it once again used AI to help generate its holiday ad, this time drawing on Sora, Veo 3, and Luma AI.
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