The rapid growth of artificial intelligence into various industries has led to several developments, including the field of arts. One of the key advancements is the Midjourney AI, a tool launched in July 2022 by the San Francisco-based independent research lab Midjourney Inc. The company, founded by David Holz, the CTO of Leap Motion, has only 11 full-time staff yet boasts over 964 million AI-generated images online.
The Midjourney tool creates images based on generated prompts, producing millions of distinct designs each unique to the prompt inputted. Users can access the tool via a subscription plan, which starts at $10 a month and goes up to $120 a month. Along with the tool, Midjourney’s Discord channel also provides guides on how to create an ideal prompt. Users interested in frequent use can also install the Midjourney bot on their channels for easier access and use.
Yet, the accessibility and speed of AI tools like Midjourney have led to a growing wave of online misinformation. Additionally, ethical concerns have emerged, with numerous criticisms levelled against the company for allegedly stealing artwork from human artists without their consent to train AI tools. In an interview with Forbes, Midjourney’s founder David Holz confirmed that the company hadn’t sought consent from artists to use their work in training their AI generator.
There are alternatives to Midjourney such as OpenAI’s DALL-E 2 and StabilityAI’s Stable Diffusion. Like Midjourney, both these tools generate AI art, but they have their distinct style and functioning method. However, these AI tools have faced similar issues as Midjourney, from ethical concerns of using artists’ works without consent to misinformation spread through AI-generated images.
In conclusion, AI art generators like Midjourney offer promising opportunities for creating digital artwork, but they also present challenges in the form of ethical concerns and misinformation. As the technology continues to evolve, fostering a healthy balance wherein artists get due credit and false information is kept in check will be crucial.
