Meta is partnering with Midjourney to license the startup’s AI picture and video technology know-how, Meta Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang introduced Friday in a submit on Threads. Wang says Meta’s analysis groups will collaborate with Midjourney to convey its know-how into future AI fashions and merchandise.
“To make sure Meta is ready to ship the very best merchandise for individuals it is going to require taking an all-of-the-above method,” Wang mentioned. “This implies world-class expertise, formidable compute roadmap, and dealing with the perfect gamers throughout the {industry}.”
The Midjourney partnership might assist Meta develop merchandise that compete with industry-leading AI picture and video fashions, similar to OpenAI’s Sora, Black Forest Lab’s Flux, and Google’s Veo. Final yr, Meta rolled out its personal AI picture technology software, Think about, into a number of of its merchandise, together with Fb, Instagram, and Messenger. Meta additionally has an AI video technology software, Film Gen, that enables customers to create movies from prompts.
The licensing settlement with Midjourney marks Meta’s newest deal to get forward within the AI race. Earlier this yr, CEO Mark Zuckerberg went on a hiring spree for AI expertise, providing some researchers compensation packages value upwards of $100 million. The social media large additionally invested $14 billion in Scale AI, and acquired the AI voice startup Play AI.
Meta has held talks with a number of different main AI labs about different acquisitions, and Zuckerberg even spoke with Elon Musk about becoming a member of his $97 billion takeover bid of OpenAI (Meta finally didn’t be a part of the supply, and OpenAI denied Musk’s bid).
Whereas the phrases of Meta’s cope with Midjourney stay unknown, the startup’s CEO, David Holz, mentioned in a submit on X that his firm stays impartial with no traders; Midjourney is likely one of the few main AI mannequin builders that has by no means taken on outdoors funding. At one level, Meta talked with Midjourney about buying the startup, in accordance with Upstarts Media.
Midjourney was based in 2022 and rapidly turned a frontrunner within the AI picture technology area for its life like, distinctive type. By 2023, the startup was reportedly on tempo to generate $200 million in income. The startup sells subscriptions beginning at $10 per thirty days. It affords pricier tiers, which provide extra AI picture generations, that value as a lot as $120 per thirty days. In June, the startup launched its first AI video mannequin, V1.
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Meta’s partnership with Midjourney comes simply two months after the startup was sued by Disney and Common, alleging that it skilled AI picture fashions on copyrighted works. A number of AI mannequin builders — together with Meta — face related allegations from copyright holders, nevertheless, latest courtroom instances pertaining to AI coaching knowledge have sided with tech corporations.
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