India, Oct. 16 -- Microsoft recently unveiled MAI-Image-1, its first text-to-image generation model developed entirely in-house. The launch was officially announced on 13 October 2025. This new AI model joins Microsoft's MAI portfolio, which includes the voice generator MAI-Voice-1 and the language model MAI-1-preview.

This new addition to the portfolio is a strategic move by Microsoft to build proprietary generative AI assets and reduce its reliance on external partners like OpenAI. The model immediately secured a position in the top ten on the LMArena leaderboard, a public platform where users evaluate and vote on AI image outputs.

MAI-Image-1 is designed to address two key areas critical for commercial application: photorealism and s...