Microsoft AI announces first image generator created in-house

10 hours ago 12

The model has already secured a spot in the top 10 of LMArena.

by Andrew J. Hawkins

Oct 13, 2025, 9:24 PM UTC

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Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge

Andrew J. Hawkins

is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State.

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.

1/3Some of the images generated by Microsoft’s new test-to-image generator. Image: Microsoft

MAI-Image-I joins Microsoft’s other AI products, voice generator MAI-Voice-1 AI and chatbot MAI-1-preview. The company was an early funder of OpenAI, but the two companies’ relationship has grown increasingly complicated. Microsoft is reportedly planning to use Anthropic’s AI models for some features in Microsoft 365 soon.

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.”

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