Microsoft has unveiled MAI-Image-1, its first text-to-image model built entirely in-house.
The generator emphasizes photorealistic results and faster performance than larger models, with strengths in scenes like landscapes and lighting.
It already ranks in the top 10 on LMArena, the public AI image benchmark. Microsoft says it designed the model with feedback from creative professionals to avoid repetitive or generic styles.
This marks a key step in Microsoft’s strategy to reduce reliance on external partners like OpenAI and build a proprietary AI ecosystem spanning voice, image, and chat models.
