Microsoft AI announces first image generator created in-house

Microsoft AI just announced its first text-to-image generator, MAI-Image-1, designed and developed in-house. The tech giant, which recently announced its first in-house developed AI models, called the new image generator “the next step on our journey.”

Microsoft says it sought feedback from creative professionals in order to avoid “repetitive or generically-stylized outputs.” MAI-Image-1 “excels” at photorealistic imagery like lightning, landscapes, and more, the company claims. And it can process requests and produce images faster than “larger, slower models.” The model has already secured a spot in the top 10 of LMArena, the AI benchmark site where humans compare outputs from different systems and vote on the best one.

We haven’t had a chance to test Microsoft’s new image generator, but once we have we’ll report back on its safety guardrails. The company says its committed to “ensuring safe and responsible outcomes.”