Introduction

Today, we’re announcing MAI-Image-1, our first image generation model developed entirely in-house, debuting in the top 10 text-to-image models on LMArena. At Microsoft AI, we’re creating AI for everyone – a supportive, helpful presence always in the service of humanity. We’ve shared how purpose-built models are essential for this mission, and we announced our first two in-house models in August. MAI-Image-1 marks the next step on our journey and paves the way for more immersive, creative and dynamic experiences inside our products. We trained this model with the goal of delivering genuine value for creators, and we put a lot of care into avoiding repetitive or generically-stylized outputs. For example, we prioritized rigorous data selection and nuanced evaluation focused on tasks that closely mirror real-world creative use cases – taking into account feedback from professionals in the creative industries. This model is designed to deliver real flexibility, visual diversity and practical value. MAI-Image-1 excels at generating photorealistic imagery, like lighting (e.g., bounce light, reflections), landscapes, and much more. This is particularly so when compared to many larger, slower models. Its combination of speed and quality means users can get their ideas on screen faster, iterate through them quickly, and then transfer their work to other tools to continue refining.

Training