Midjourney, an AI platform that generates realistic photographs, has decided to end its free trial service due to a high volume of individuals generating throwaway accounts to grab free photographs. This decision was made by the CEO and creator of Midjourney, David Holz, who explained that the move was necessary to prevent abuse of the platform.
Initially, it was believed that the decision to end free trials was due to users spreading false photographs of President Trump being detained and the pope sporting a fashionable garment. However, Holz clarified that the most recent version of Midjourney, Version 5, which generated realistic visuals, was included in the free trial available to consumers.
According to Holz, the cause of the decision to end free trials was a popular how-to video in China, which coincided with a brief GPU shortage. Together, these two factors were causing the service for paying customers to go down. Version 5 of Midjourney improved lighting and fabric realism by fixing mistakes in previously generated photos. The algorithm can produce hundreds of photographs combining celebrities and public figures, causing thousands of images to become viral in recent weeks.
Despite the improvements made in Version 5, the AI platform has been unable to deal with the viral fabricated images that have also entered politics. To control the frenzy of fake images being generated and circulated, Midjourney has a list of banned words “related to topics in different countries based on complaints from users in those countries.” This list has expanded over time to prevent the abuse of the platform.
The decision to end free trials is a significant move for Midjourney, as it may affect the platform’s growth and customer acquisition. However, it is a necessary step to prevent abuse and maintain the quality of the service for paying customers. With the banned words list and Version 5’s improvements, Midjourney is taking steps to prevent the spread of false information and maintain its reputation as a reliable AI platform.
