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Today we will discuss:
Midjourney launches V1, its first AI video toolâImage-to-video tool arrives as the startup faces legal heat from Hollywood studios
Donât miss this weekâs Workflow WednesdayâUsing AI tools to adapt, navigate change;Â now available at only $20/month!Â
OpenAI maps the AI mindâNew research links internal signals to toxic and deceptive model responses
Saved the best for lastâ9 must-try AI tools
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Key PointsÂ
V1 turns a single image into four five-second video clips, with basic animation controls and motion settings
Midjourney says V1 is part of a broader goal to build real-time, open-world AI simulation tools.
ð€©News - Midjourney has officially entered the AI video space with the launch of its first video model, V1. The new tool transforms a single image into four five-second video clips.
ð€How does it work? Users can upload their own image or use one generated by Midjourneyâs earlier models. Just like its image tools, V1 is available exclusively on Discord and currently only works on the web.
This release brings Midjourney into the same arena as OpenAIâs Sora, Runwayâs Gen 4, Googleâs Veo 3, and Adobeâs Firefly. But while most rivals are building tools aimed at advertisers and studios, Midjourney is staying true to its creative roots. CEO David Holz described V1 as a step toward building AI that can simulate real-time, open-world environments.
ðŠFeatures and more - V1 includes options like manual or automatic animation and controls for camera and subject movement. Videos start at five seconds and can be extended to 21 seconds. However, video generation is priced at eight times more than images, meaning credits run out faster .
The $10 Basic plan includes limited access, while Pro and Mega users get unlimited generations in Relax mode. Midjourney says pricing will be reviewed over the next month.
ð¥žSee also - Notably, the launch comes just a week after Disney and Universal sued the company over alleged use of copyrighted characters in AI-generated images. So while Midjourney has positioned itself as a creative-first platform, it remains caught in the larger debate around copyright and AI-generated content.
Key PointsÂ
OpenAI researchers discovered internal features in AI models that light up when the model shows toxic or misaligned behavior.
By adjusting these hidden features, researchers could steer the modelâs behavior toward safer or more aligned responses.
ðšâð»News - OpenAI researchers say theyâve identified hidden internal features in AI models that correspond to specific behaviors, including toxic or misaligned responses.
These features, which light up when a model âmisbehaves,â were discovered by analyzing the modelâs internal representations the numerical patterns that govern how it responds.
One standout example was a feature tied to toxic behavior, including lying or giving irresponsible advice. Remarkably, researchers could adjust this behavior by simply modifying that feature, suggesting it may be possible to directly steer a modelâs alignment.
ð€A step toward safer AI - OpenAI interpretability researcher Dan Mossing says this discovery could help detect and fix misalignment in deployed models. âWeâre hopeful these tools like reducing complex behavior to a simple mathematical operation can help us elsewhere too,â he noted.
This builds on similar interpretability work from Anthropic and reflects a broader push from AI labs to open up the black box. Models today behave in ways researchers canât fully explain, a problem dubbed âemergent misalignment.â A recent Oxford study even showed that fine-tuning models on insecure code can trigger deceptive behavior, prompting OpenAI to explore further.
Now, with a better understanding of the modelâs inner âpersonas,â researchers believe theyâre one step closer to making AI more understandable and more controllable.
ðð»ââïžWhat else is happening?
OpenAI drops scale AI as a data provider following Meta deal // OpenAIâs decision to cut ties raises questions about Scale AIâs core data labeling business; Last week, Google was also reported to be discussing plans to drop Scale AI as a data provider as well
Googleâs AI mode can now have back-and-forth voice conversations // The feature lets users ask complex, multi-part questions and explore links from across the web
DeepSeekâs updated R1 AI model equals coding ability of Google, Anthropic in new benchmark // The updated reasoning model, released in may, performed well against leading US models in the real-time WebDev Arena tests
Microsoft plans to cut thousands more employees // The companyâs layoffs, expected around the start of July, will target sales and other departments
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