Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Meta partners with Midjourney to license its AI image and video models

Ken Metral

Ken Metral

— 2 min read
Cosmico - Meta partners with Midjourney to license its AI image and video models
Credit: Meta Platforms, Inc./Midjourney, Inc.

Meta is teaming up with AI startup Midjourney in a licensing deal that could reshape the social media giant’s generative AI strategy. The partnership, announced Friday by Meta Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang in a Threads post, will bring Midjourney’s cutting-edge image and video generation technology into Meta’s future AI models and products.

“To ensure Meta is able to deliver the best possible products for people it will require taking an all-of-the-above approach,” Wang said. “This means world-class talent, ambitious compute roadmap, and working with the best players across the industry.”

Strengthening Meta’s AI Arsenal

The move positions Meta to better compete with industry leaders in generative AI such as OpenAI’s Sora, Google’s Veo, and Black Forest Lab’s Flux. Meta already offers its own AI image generator, Imagine, across Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, as well as Movie Gen, a video creation tool. Partnering with Midjourney — known for its highly realistic, stylistically distinct outputs — could give Meta’s products a new competitive edge.

This latest agreement is part of Meta’s broader AI push. Earlier this year, CEO Mark Zuckerberg launched an aggressive hiring campaign for top AI researchers, with some packages reportedly exceeding $100 million. Meta also invested $14 billion in Scale AI, acquired the AI voice startup Play AI, and even held discussions with other major AI labs, including exploratory talks with Elon Musk about joining his $97 billion bid for OpenAI.

Midjourney’s Independent Path

Founded in 2022, Midjourney rapidly rose to prominence in the AI image generation space, reaching an estimated $200 million in revenue within its first two years. The company operates on a subscription model, starting at $10 per month, with premium tiers running as high as $120 per month for power users. In June, it launched its first video model, V1, signaling an expansion beyond still images.

Despite interest from potential acquirers — including Meta itself — Midjourney has remained fiercely independent. In a post on X, CEO David Holz emphasized that the company has no outside investors, making it one of the few leading AI developers to grow without venture capital backing.

The partnership comes amid mounting legal challenges for AI companies. Just two months ago, Midjourney was sued by Disney and Universal, who allege the startup trained its models on copyrighted material without permission. Meta and other AI labs face similar lawsuits, though courts have recently leaned toward siding with tech companies on the legality of using copyrighted works as training data.

What’s Next for Meta?

While the financial details of the licensing deal remain undisclosed, the collaboration could prove pivotal as Meta looks to cement its position in the AI race. By tapping into Midjourney’s widely admired generative technology, Meta could accelerate the rollout of advanced creative tools across its social platforms — potentially transforming how billions of users create and consume content.

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