Meta partners with MidJourney on AI image and video technology

Meta has entered into a licensing partnership with MidJourney, giving it access to the startup’s AI image and video generation technology. The announcement came Friday from Meta’s Chief AI Officer, Alexander Wang, who wrote on Threads that the collaboration would allow Meta’s research teams to embed MidJourney’s innovations into future AI models and consumer products.

Wang emphasized that delivering world-class products requires a broad strategy—one that blends top talent, powerful computing infrastructure, and alliances with the strongest players in the field.

The MidJourney deal positions Meta to better compete with leading AI systems such as OpenAI’s Sora, Black Forest Lab’s Flux, and Google’s Vevo. Last year, Meta rolled out its own image generator, Imagine, across Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. It also offers a video generation tool, MovieGen, which converts user prompts into short clips.

The collaboration aligns with Meta’s broader strategy to advance its AI initiatives. Earlier this year, CEO Mark Zuckerberg launched an aggressive hiring campaign for AI researchers, reportedly offering compensation packages exceeding $100 million. In addition to investing $14 billion in Scale AI, Meta successfully acquired Play AI, a business that specializes in voice-based AI. The company has even discussed acquisitions with other major labs. At one point, Zuckerberg explored joining Elon Musk in a $97 billion takeover bid for OpenAI, though Meta ultimately declined, and Musk’s offer was rejected.

While the financial terms of the MidJourney licensing deal remain undisclosed, the startup’s CEO, David Holz, stated on X that his company remains independent and investor-free. MidJourney is among the few AI model developers never to have raised outside funding. Reports suggest Meta had once considered acquiring the company outright.

Founded in 2022, MidJourney quickly rose to prominence with its distinctively realistic and artistic style, and by 2023 was on pace to generate $200 million in revenue. It operates on a subscription model starting at $10 per month, with advanced tiers reaching $120, offering higher volumes of image generation. June marked the debut of its first AI-powered video model, V1.

Notably, Meta’s deal comes only two months after Disney and Universal sued MidJourney, alleging its models were trained on copyrighted works. Meta and several other AI developers face similar claims, though recent court rulings on AI training data have largely favored technology firms.