Image Generation
Jul 26, 2026

The Gist
Midjourney is expanding its creative ambitions by acquiring the astrology app Co-Star and appointing its founder as chief design officer, while competitors are rapidly advancing their capabilities with Black Forest Labs launching the FLUX 3 multimodal model for video, audio, and robotics generation. Meanwhile, new players like Tuziyo are democratizing AI image creation through free-credit models, and industry leaders like Jack Conte are discussing how artificial intelligence will shape the future of online creativity.
Today's Stories
- 1
Jack Conte on AI's role in the future of online creativity
Jack Conte, the founder of Patreon, shared views on how artificial intelligence will shape the future of creative work on the internet in a video presentation. As the leader of a platform that helps millions of creators earn money directly from their audiences, Conte's perspective on AI's impact on creativity and creator economics carries weight for anyone building or relying on creative work online.
The video is available on YouTube at the URL provided, offering Conte's full argument on how creators and the internet ecosystem may adapt as AI becomes more prevalent.
- 2
Midjourney acquires astrology app Co-Star, appoints founder as chief design officer
Midjourney, an AI image-generation startup, acquired the personalized astrology app Co-Star in a deal that closed in spring. Co-Star's founder Banu Guler will remain in charge of the app and will also become Midjourney's chief design officer. Co-Star combines human insight, NASA data, and AI to deliver personalized daily horoscopes and compatibility checks. The acquisition signals Midjourney's expansion beyond image generation into consumer apps, and Guler's design expertise may help shape how Midjourney builds its first dedicated applications.
Midjourney plans to develop its first apps, including one dedicated to image generation. Currently, Midjourney's AI models operate through the web and Discord; these new apps represent a shift toward standalone products. The deal terms have not been disclosed.
- 3
Midjourney acquires astrology app Co-Star
Midjourney, an AI lab known for image and video generators, has acquired the social astrology app Co-Star. Deal terms were not disclosed. Co-Star's team of about two dozen employees has joined Midjourney. Co-Star has about 4.3 million monthly active users and uses AI and human writing to generate horoscopes and astrological compatibility assessments. The acquisition signals Midjourney's expansion beyond its core image-generation business into consumer-facing apps, following its efforts to build medical and spa divisions.
Midjourney currently operates primarily through Discord with no standalone app. Co-Star's team's experience building consumer apps suggests Midjourney may finally develop its own standalone application.
- 4
Black Forest Labs launches FLUX 3 multimodal model spanning video, audio, robotics
Black Forest Labs announced FLUX 3, a unified multimodal model trained in a single architecture that handles image, video, audio generation, and action prediction. The company also unveiled FLUX-mimic, a video-action robotics model built on FLUX 3 and tested with Audi for real factory deployment on a single on-premises GPU. FLUX 3 reproduces and extends capabilities previously demonstrated separately by other frontier labs (Gemini Omni, Grok Imagine, Seedance 2.0), with the team committing to open an open-weights developer version. The robotics application signals that video world modeling can directly transfer to robot control, potentially lowering barriers for labs building competitive open models without reliance on closed ecosystems.
FLUX 3 Video is currently in early access. The model's ability to unify image, video, audio, and robotics control in one architecture—trained jointly rather than as separate modules—will shape whether multimodal systems become industry standard or remain fragmented by task.
- 5
Flux 3 brings text-to-image and video generation to Textideo platform
Flux 3, an AI visual intelligence tool, is now available on the Textideo platform, enabling users to generate realistic images and videos from text prompts. The tool supports text-to-image and image-to-video workflows, with generation available to both free and premium users—premium users can leave and check results later, while free users must keep the page open or the task cancels. Flux 3 lowers the barrier to professional visual content creation for creators, marketers, and designers without coding or design experience. The platform handles composition, detail, and style automatically, allowing users to focus on creative direction rather than technical execution. Textideo integrates the entire workflow—from prompt to generation, preview, and export—into one ecosystem.
The platform reports it is trusted by 10,000+ creators worldwide. Users can explore the tool across different workflows including ecommerce visuals, marketing materials, social media assets, advertising content, and digital artwork, with results available immediately or on-demand depending on user tier.
- 6
Tuziyo launches multi-model AI image studio with free credits
Tuziyo, a new creative workspace, lets users generate images and videos using multiple AI models (GPT Image, Nano, Banana, Seedance, Grok, Recraft) in a single interface. New accounts receive 10 free credits with no credit card required. The platform consolidates image generation, editing, and asset preparation in one workflow—users can move from prompt to finished export (still images, short video, cropped/resized assets) without switching tools, which may appeal to content creators and marketing teams needing polished visuals across formats.
Access is available now via the "Open studio" button; the free tier with 10 credits is the entry point for new users.
What to Watch
Watch for Midjourney's upcoming standalone apps—moving beyond Discord to dedicated tools could reshape how creators access AI image generation daily. Additionally, keep an eye on FLUX 3 Video's development as it progresses from early access, since its unified approach to combining images, video, audio, and robotics control could determine whether the industry settles on one flexible standard or splinters into specialized AI tools.
Sources
- Jack Conte: The future of creativity on the internet in a world with AI [video]
- Midjourney bought the astrology app Co-Star
- Midjourney acquired the astrology app Co-Star
- [AINews] Black Forest Labs FLUX 3 - Multimodal Flow Models that beat Seedance 2.0, Gemini Omni and Grok Imagine, and FLUX-mimic video-action robotics model
- Flux 3: From AI image generation to visual intelligence
- Show HN: Tuziyo – Compare multiple AI image models in one studio
- Black Forest Labs launches FLUX 3 capable of generating images and 20-second video with audio — but in limited release to start
- Anyone heading to Jeju for KDD? Let's meet up! 🙋[D]
- Neill Blomkamp’s new zombie AI ‘film’ is just slop warmed over
- Disney's Ozzy Fox is going viral thanks to 'AI slop' accusations
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