Midjourney Launches New Hardware Team and Welcomes Applications

Midjourney, the leading AI image generation service, has officially ventured into hardware development, confirming long-standing rumors. The company announced this significant move through a post on its official X account, inviting interested candidates to join their new San Francisco hardware team by emailing [email protected].

Midjourney has teased scarce but intriguing hints regarding its hardware initiatives. Both its X account and founder David Holz—a former co-founder and CTO of Leap Motion—have dropped clues about their plans. The company confirmed that Ahmad Abbas, ex-Hardware Engineering Manager for Apple’s Vision Pro headset, will lead the hardware division, as listed on his LinkedIn profile with a start date of December 2023.

Abbas revealed his transition to Midjourney in a LinkedIn post seven months ago. The company clarified that their new device would not be a pendant, a common form factor in early AI devices, as Midjourney focuses on using diffusion-based AI models for generating detailed still imagery. Instead, they hinted at a device you can "go inside of," departing from conventional wearables.

Holz indicated that remote hires may not be supported and shared an old post expressing interest in an "orb" form factor. The company hinted at unique opportunities for new hardware shapes, suggesting that Midjourney aims to create something distinct in the hardware landscape.

This announcement comes amidst escalating competition from photorealistic AI image generation models, including the newly launched Grok 2 model by Elon Musk’s xAI, and the Ideogram 2, known for its text integration capabilities. In response, Midjourney updated its web interface for better accessibility, allowing all users, including those outside its Discord server, to generate 25 free images.

While Midjourney faces a class-action lawsuit from artists alleging copyright infringement through data scraping, the company remains undeterred.

The landscape for AI hardware has presented challenges. Little information is available on the specifications, pricing, and launch of Midjourney’s devices, so it’s premature to assess their potential success. Previous attempts by startups like Rabbit and Humane to introduce AI-powered devices have struggled to gain traction, with Humane reportedly seeking a buyer amid disappointing sales.

Even established companies like Meta and Snapchat have faced hurdles in convincing consumers to invest in dedicated hardware, such as augmented reality glasses. Nonetheless, the AI hardware sector is poised for excitement, especially with notable figures like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman collaborating with former Apple designer Jony Ive on new innovations.