AI picture generator Midjourney pauses free trial version – update

AI company Midjourney, known for the generative AI of the same name that can create images, has temporarily suspended the free version of its service due to excessive demand, but also ‘abuse of the trial version’.

Midjourney previously offered a free trial of its AI image generator, where users could generate 25 free images. After that, you have to take out a subscription, which costs $10 per month. On Tuesday reported Midjourney leader David Holz says that the free version is due to ‘overwhelming demand [naar de dienst in zijn algemeen] and misuse of the trial version’ was temporarily stopped. A day later he wrote: “We tried turning the trial version back on with new exploit protections, but they didn’t seem to be enough, so we turned it off again to keep the service for everyone else.”

Midjourney uses a number of prohibited terms, it writes including The Verge. For example, it is forbidden to use the term ‘arrested’, probably because this makes it possible to spread fake images of arrests as fake news. A Bellingcat investigative journalist did this earlier this month, for example, although he did note that the photos were generated. Furthermore, ‘Xi Jinping’, for example, is prohibited. About that Holz said earlier this year: “The question is whether the greater good is that [Chinezen] can use the technology or that you can make political satire.”

Midjourney has two major competitors: Dall-E and Stable Diffusion. Compared to Midjourney, Stable Diffusion lets its users down quite freewhile Dall-E requires that all generated content is child-friendly.

Update, Friday: Midjourney leader Holz clarified to The Verge that by “abuse” he meant creating multiple accounts to circumvent the limitations of the free trial version, and not creating fake news images.

Image: Eliot Higgins on Twitter