Meta Platforms has struck a licensing deal with generative-AI start-up Midjourney to embed the firm’s image and video-generation technology in future Meta models and consumer products. The agreement, announced on 24 August by Meta Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang, will allow Meta to incorporate Midjourney’s so-called “aesthetic” capabilities across applications such as Instagram and WhatsApp as well as its advertising tools. Financial terms were not disclosed, but Midjourney Chief Executive David Holz said the San Francisco-based company will remain an independent, community-backed research lab. Meta said about two million advertisers already use its AI-driven video features and that Midjourney’s algorithms should sharpen visual quality and shorten production times, helping the social-media giant stand out against rivals including Google and OpenAI. The collaboration extends Meta’s recent push to secure external expertise as it races to build more advanced consumer-facing AI services. Wang framed the pact as part of an “all-of-the-above” strategy that combines internal research, an aggressive compute roadmap and alliances with specialty providers to “bring beauty to billions.”