Midjourney

Midjourney is a generative artificial intelligence program developed by Midjourney, Inc., an independent research lab based in San Francisco, United States. The company was founded in August 2021 by David Holz, who had earlier co-founded Leap Motion. Midjourney uses deep learning and diffusion models to generate images from natural language prompts. 

It interprets written descriptions, converts them into numerical codes called latent vectors, and produces detailed images through reverse diffusion. Initially launched on Discord in February 2022, the tool gained rapid popularity, reaching around 20 million users by the end of 2024. In 2024, the company expanded to a web-based platform, improving accessibility and functionality.
 

Midjourney has released several model versions: V1 in February 2022, V2 in April, V3 in July, V4 in November, V5 in March 2023, V6 in December 2023, and V7 in April 2025. Each version brought improvements in realism, prompt understanding, and features like zoom, inpainting, and text rendering. The tool also introduced innovations such as the “Vary (Region)” function, image and style reference options, and character consistency features. It operates mainly through Discord and its website, allowing users to create, upscale, and modify AI-generated images.
 

The company, which remains self-funded with 11–50 employees, has notable advisors including Jim Keller, Nat Friedman, Philip Rosedale, and Bill Warner. Midjourney is widely used in advertising, design, and architecture for visual prototyping and concept development. 

Midjourney, Inc. was founded in August 2021 in San Francisco, United States, by David Holz, who had earlier co-founded Leap Motion and worked with NASA and the Max Planck Institute. The company was established as an independent research lab focusing on artificial intelligence and human–computer interaction. Its main goal was to explore new ways for people to express creativity through AI-generated images. The Midjourney platform officially began its development soon after the company’s formation.
 

In February 2022, Midjourney launched its Discord server, allowing users to access the AI tool through text-based commands. The first version of the model (V1) was released the same month, marking the company’s entry into public testing. Version 2 followed in April 2022 with improvements in image quality and processing, while version 3 was released in July 2022, providing more coherent results. 

On November 5, 2022, the company introduced the alpha of version 4, which used Google TPUs for training. During this period, the Midjourney Discord community grew rapidly as millions of users began experimenting with text-to-image generation.

The fifth version of the model was launched in March 2023, with updates 5.1 and 5.2 introducing an aesthetic system and the “Vary (Region)” feature that allowed users to edit specific parts of an image. Version 6, released in December 2023, was trained from scratch and brought significant improvements in text rendering and literal interpretation. 

Midjourney introduced its independent web platform in 2024, removing the earlier Discord-only restriction. The web platform integrated tools such as zooming, panning, region editing, and inpainting in one interface, helping users access features more easily.
 

In April 2025, version 7 was released with a new draft mode that generated prototype images faster and at a lower cost. By this time, Midjourney had become one of the most recognised generative AI platforms, with millions of users across the world. The company also introduced partnerships, including one with Meta in August 2025 to create licensed image content for Facebook and Instagram.
 

Midjourney remains a privately owned and self-funded company led by David Holz, supported by a small team of engineers and advisors including Jim Keller, Nat Friedman, and Philip Rosedale. The company continues to face copyright challenges from artists and studios such as Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros., who allege misuse of intellectual property in AI training data. 

Despite these legal matters, Midjourney continues to develop its platform, focusing on research and technological improvements. As of 2025, it stands as one of the leading AI tools for image generation, contributing to the growth of creative and commercial uses of artificial intelligence.

The mission of Midjourney is to explore new ways of thinking and expand the creative and imaginative abilities of people through artificial intelligence. The company aims to make AI a practical tool for artistic expression and problem-solving. By combining research, design, and technology, Midjourney provides a platform where users can transform words into visuals. Its focus is on human creativity, helping people express ideas that are difficult to show through traditional methods. Midjourney continues to develop tools that make AI accessible, meaningful, and useful for artists, designers, educators, and industries across the world.

The vision of Midjourney is to build a future where human creativity and artificial intelligence work together to expand imagination and understanding. The company aims to create systems that allow people to communicate visually with technology in a simple and effective way. It seeks to establish a global creative platform where everyone can use AI to express thoughts, design projects, and explore ideas beyond traditional boundaries. Midjourney’s long-term goal is to support human progress by building AI systems that enhance visual communication and creativity while maintaining responsibility, inclusiveness, and innovation in its approach.

Midjourney has gained worldwide recognition as one of the leading AI image-generation platforms. Its technology has been used by major publications, including The Economist and The Atlantic, for cover designs and creative projects. In 2022, a Midjourney-generated artwork titled Théâtre D'opéra Spatial won first prize in the digital art competition at the Colorado State Fair, highlighting the impact of AI-generated art. The company has also been acknowledged for innovation in AI and design across various media and research forums.

Midjourney provides a range of products and services centred around artificial intelligence and image generation. Its main product is an AI-based platform that creates images from written text, known as text-to-image generation. Users type a description, called a prompt, and the system automatically generates an image that reflects the idea. This process uses advanced machine learning models, including a large language model and a diffusion model, trained on a vast dataset of images and text descriptions. The result is an image that blends human creativity with machine understanding.

The core service of Midjourney is available through its website and Discord-based application. On Discord, users can access the tool using the “/imagine” command. Once a prompt is entered, the AI generates four image options. Users can then upscale their preferred image, create variations, or use other functions to refine it further. The company later introduced its web platform to make access easier for users who do not use Discord. The web version combines all major tools—editing, zooming, inpainting, and region variation—into one simple interface.

Midjourney’s AI models are released in different versions, each bringing major improvements. From the first model in early 2022 to the current version 7 in 2025, each release has enhanced image quality, realism, and response to prompts. The system now supports better text inclusion in images, faster processing, and improved accuracy. The “Vary (Region)” tool allows users to select a specific area in an image to change only that part while keeping the rest unchanged. This is widely used by designers and artists for editing and adjustments.
 

The platform also includes “Style Reference” and “Character Reference” features. Style Reference enables users to upload an image to guide the AI on visual style, such as colour palette or artistic tone. Character Reference helps maintain consistency of characters across multiple generated images, which is valuable for illustrators, storytellers, and game designers. Another feature, “Image Weight”, lets users control how much influence an uploaded image has on the final result compared to the written prompt.
 

Midjourney provides tools not only for individuals but also for industries such as advertising, design, architecture, and education. Advertisers use it to create concept visuals and campaign ideas quickly. Designers and filmmakers use it for storyboarding, character development, and scene creation. Architects use the platform to build mood boards and visual plans for projects. Educators and students use it to explain concepts or create visual aids for research and presentations.