📣 In the news

👉 Midjourney offers free AI image generation to all users

Midjourney has opened its website to all users, offering 25 free AI image generations to newcomers. This move marks a significant shift from its previous Discord-only access and limited alpha website. New users can now sign up with Google or Discord accounts, with options to merge existing accounts. The platform is now directly accessible through a web interface, making it more user-friendly and accessible to a wider audience. This change puts Midjourney in a more competitive position within the AI image generation market.

👉 Luma AI unveils new advanced Text-to-Video generation tool

Luma AI has released Dream Machine 1.5, an improved text-to-video AI model boasting enhanced realism, improved motion tracking, and more intuitive prompt understanding. This update includes better text rendering within videos and improved handling of non-English prompts, demonstrating its potential for multilingual content creation. Dream Machine 1.5 can generate 5 seconds of high-quality video in about 2 minutes. The tool is openly available to users, unlike some competitors that remain in closed beta.

👉 OpenAI partners with Condé Nast for content integration

OpenAI and Condé Nast have announced a multi-year partnership to display content from Condé Nast's brands, including Vogue, Wired, and The New Yorker, within OpenAI's products such as ChatGPT and SearchGPT. The deal allows OpenAI to access Condé Nast's extensive archives for AI training and real-time information retrieval. While financial terms weren't disclosed, Condé Nast's CEO suggests the deal will help offset revenue losses to tech companies in recent years.

👀 Creative picks

Inflatable Awareness: Thomas Cook's campaign to protect marine fife

The "Deflatables" campaign, created by McCann Birmingham for Thomas Cook and the Marine Conservation Society, aims to raise awareness about the environmental impact of discarded holiday inflatables. This initiative highlights how abandoned inflatables contribute to plastic pollution, harming marine life, and encourages holidaymakers to reduce, reuse, and recycle their inflatables.

Research conducted for the campaign revealed that while many holidaymakers purchase inflatables, a significant number do not plan to recycle them after use. The campaign also calls on hotels to provide recycling facilities to support more eco-friendly practices, further emphasizing a collective responsibility for environmental stewardship.

The campaign used a mix of AI and 3D modeling to create realistic renders After initial sketches and inconsistent AI-generated images, the team turned to 3D modeling using Blender and Photoshop to create realistic deflated marine creatures. They integrated these into stock environments and used AI for backgrounds.

Both Adam Bodfish from McCann and representatives from Thomas Cook and the Marine Conservation Society emphasized the importance of individual responsibility in protecting the environment, especially while on holiday. This campaign not only aims to reduce plastic waste but also fosters a deeper connection between holiday activities and environmental awareness.

_{Credits: McCann Birmingham / Thomas Cook / the Marine Conservation Society}