Archive, page 17

Meta has built an AI detection tool designed to identify images and video generated by its own models. The tool comes with rate limits, an unusual design choice that raises questions about its intended scope and accessibility. It represents Meta's latest step toward addressing the growing challenge of synthetic media attribution.

Meta has launched Muse Image, a new AI image generator with applications spanning advertising, home decorating, and creator tools. The rollout has already drawn criticism from users concerned about how their photos may be used to train or power the system. It is the latest step in Meta's ongoing push to embed generative AI across its platforms.

Director Jon Erwin, known for faith-based productions like "House of David," is openly integrating AI tools into his filmmaking workflow through his production company Innovative Dreams. In an interview with IndieWire, he argues that transparency about AI use is essential, and that the technology can protect jobs rather than eliminate them. His perspective offers a grounded counterpoint to the anxiety surrounding AI's role in Hollywood.

Meta has introduced a new image generation model called Muse that can take an Instagram account as a prompt, drawing on a user's posted content to inform the style and subject of generated images. The model is also being integrated into Instagram Stories effects and WhatsApp's image generation feature. It marks a notable shift in how personal social media history can be used as creative input for AI tools.

Meta has introduced Muse Image, the first AI image generation model from its Superintelligence Labs division, now powering image tools across Meta AI, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The model includes a notable social feature that lets users pull other Instagram accounts into generated images, raising immediate questions about consent and misuse. It is also described as "agentic," working alongside a large language model to reason through prompts before generating output.

Midjourney is pushing to compel major Hollywood studios to disclose how they use AI tools internally, framing the effort as a response to what it sees as a double standard. The studios have been vocal critics of AI companies while allegedly relying on similar technology behind the scenes. The legal and industry implications could be significant for both sides of the ongoing AI and entertainment debate.

ByteDance's AI video tool Seedance has drawn the Motion Picture Association's first-ever cease-and-desist against an AI company, triggered by a viral clip featuring AI-generated likenesses of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. At the same time, industry insiders report that studios are quietly using the tool on a "don't ask, don't tell" basis - a contradiction that highlights the tension between Hollywood's public stance on generative AI and its private adoption of it.

ByteDance is preparing to launch Seedance 2.5, the next version of its Dreamina-based video generation model, in July. The update's headline feature is the ability to produce AI-generated video clips of up to three minutes in length - a notable increase over what most current models offer. The longer output window could open up more practical use cases for creators working on short-form content.

Midjourney is pushing three Hollywood studios to disclose the specifics of their own AI use as part of an ongoing legal dispute. The move shifts scrutiny onto the studios themselves, raising questions about how openly the entertainment industry has been about its internal adoption of generative AI tools.

Midjourney has filed a legal request asking a court to compel Disney, Warner Bros., and Universal to disclose how they use AI internally. The move comes as part of the ongoing copyright lawsuit the studios brought against the image generation company. Midjourney appears to be building a case that the studios themselves are not strangers to the technology they are suing over.

Kuaishou has secured roughly $2 billion in outside investment for Kling, its generative AI video division, as it prepares for a public listing in Hong Kong. The fundraise signals growing investor appetite for AI video technology and positions Kling as a well-capitalized competitor in an increasingly crowded field. The move also reflects a broader trend of Chinese AI companies seeking public market validation.

Google's NotebookLM is gaining a short-video format that distills uploaded research into 60-second vertical clips, styled after the kind of content common on TikTok. The feature is rolling out to AI Ultra and Pro subscribers and pairs AI-generated narration with paper cutout-style visuals. It joins an existing set of NotebookLM output formats that already includes AI podcasts, cinematic videos, and visual explainers.

NoimosAI has introduced Creative Agent, a tool designed to generate brand assets by drawing on patterns identified in high-performing market creatives. The system aims to ground visual output in data rather than purely open-ended generation. It positions itself as a practical option for teams looking to align creative production with proven market signals.

Google has released Nano Banana 2 Lite and Gemini Omni Flash, two new models aimed at image generation and video editing respectively. Nano Banana 2 Lite is positioned as Google's fastest and most cost-efficient image model, while Gemini Omni Flash brings high-quality video output and conversational editing capabilities. Both models are now available for developers to build with.

Spotting an AI-generated face used to be straightforward - look for a mangled ear, an extra finger, or eyes that didn't quite line up. In 2026, those obvious tells have largely disappeared, and the conventional wisdom about how to detect synthetic faces needs revisiting. PetaPixel examines what the research and current tools actually say about identifying AI-generated portraits today.

Proton has updated its Lumo chatbot with image generation and editing capabilities, marking a significant expansion of the privacy-focused AI assistant. The upgrade brings visual creative tools to a platform that distinguishes itself by keeping user data away from ad networks and third-party trackers. For users already in the Proton ecosystem, Lumo now offers a more complete AI workspace without sacrificing the company's data privacy commitments.

Google is expanding Personal Intelligence features in the Gemini app, allowing it to draw on data from Gmail, Google Photos, YouTube, and Search to generate images and content that feel more relevant to individual users. The expansion brings these personalized capabilities to a broader audience, with user permission as a prerequisite. It marks a notable step in Google's effort to make generative AI outputs feel less generic and more grounded in a person's actual context.

A24, long regarded as a standard-bearer for artistically ambitious cinema, is facing sharp criticism from its own fanbase after announcing a $75 million partnership with Google DeepMind to develop AI workflow tools. While the backlash has been vocal, industry observers largely expect the company to weather it without lasting damage. The deal has nonetheless raised pointed questions about what the studio's brand identity actually stands for.

Ali Ghodsi's successor at Databricks has launched a startup claiming its approach to AI inference can reduce energy consumption by a factor of 1,000. The company's first public demonstration, an image-generation system called Un-0, aims to show that its underlying technology can match the output of conventional AI systems at a fraction of the power cost. If the claims hold up under scrutiny, the implications for data center energy demand could be significant.

Adobe has acquired Topaz Labs, the company behind a suite of AI-powered image and video enhancement tools. Adobe says it plans to integrate Topaz Labs' technology across its existing applications. The deal brings a well-regarded set of upscaling, sharpening, and noise-reduction tools under Adobe's umbrella.

A new Pew Research study finds that only 24% of Americans use AI tools for creating or editing images and videos. Despite the rapid growth of generative image and video platforms, adoption remains limited across the general population. The findings offer a grounded look at where everyday use of these tools actually stands.

Figma used its annual Config conference to announce a set of updates aimed at tightening the loop between design and development. The additions include AI-generated motion graphics - where animations and transitions are created from text descriptions - alongside new shader tools and a reworked canvas built with full-stack workflows in mind. The changes reflect a broader push to reduce the context-switching that typically slows down creative and engineering teams.

Several models are accusing fashion retailer Rainbow Shops of using AI to generate digital lookalikes of them, reportedly around the same time their bookings with the brand came to a halt. The allegations raise pointed questions about consent, likeness rights, and the growing use of generative AI in commercial fashion photography. The case is drawing attention as one of the more concrete examples of AI image tools intersecting with labor disputes in the modeling industry.

A man in Singapore discovered that a former schoolmate had been using his personal photos as source material to generate AI images depicting a fabricated family life on social media. The case highlights how generative AI tools can be weaponized for identity-based deception, even by people with only casual access to someone's public photos. Authorities in Singapore are now involved in the investigation.