When Midjourney founder David Holz said “the world needs more imagination,” he was describing a particular role for AI: not an autonomous replacement for artists, but a tool that helps people explore and develop ideas. The remark came in a VentureBeat interview published on September 16, 2022, when Midjourney was a young, Discord-based image generator. Its philosophy remains worth examining—but the product and the practical questions around it have since changed.
What David Holz meant by “more imagination”
In the 2022 interview, Holz presented Midjourney as a way to make people more capable. A user could describe an idea, generate images, make variations, and use the results to discover what they actually wanted. The point, in his account, was not just producing a picture quickly. It was using a new medium to think visually and iterate.
Holz connected that approach to what is often called intelligence augmentation: technology that extends human abilities rather than simply automating a task. He spoke of reflection, coordination, and imagination as important to making a better world, and described Midjourney as a means of exploring ideas that might otherwise be difficult to picture.
The phrase is therefore more than an inspirational slogan. It expresses a design philosophy: lower the barrier to visual experimentation and let people steer the process. But a tool that makes images easier to generate does not, by itself, settle who authored them, whether they are original, or how the technology affects the people whose work it draws on or competes with.
Who is David Holz?
Holz founded Leap Motion in 2011. The company developed optical hand-tracking technology intended to let people interact with computers and virtual environments more naturally. He later founded Midjourney as an independent research lab in 2021; its text-to-image service began operating in 2022. These milestones are reported in the original VentureBeat interview.
The connection between those projects is an interest in new ways for people to interact with technology. Leap Motion explored hands as an interface; Midjourney made language a route into visual exploration. That is a useful lens on Holz’s statement, though it should not be mistaken for a complete account of either company’s history.
How Midjourney worked when the interview appeared
In 2022, Midjourney users entered natural-language prompts through Discord. The system returned multiple image options, which users could vary or develop through further generations. Its appeal included imaginative scenes, stylized imagery, concept art, and quick visual experimentation. At the time, Discord was the route into the service, rather than a dedicated Midjourney website or mobile app.
This was an exploratory loop: describe, inspect, adjust, and choose what to pursue. A prompt did not need to be a finished brief. A rough phrase could produce visual directions a user had not specified in advance, then those results could guide another round. That quality helps explain why Holz emphasized imagination and discovery rather than presenting Midjourney simply as a machine for completing commissioned artwork.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Those are historical details, not a current product description. Midjourney’s platform has since expanded, and the 2022 interview’s discussion of early access, limits, and plans should be read in its original context.
Does an imagination tool replace artists?
Holz’s answer in the interview was that Midjourney should empower artists, not replace them. He compared the tool to technology that increases a person’s speed while leaving the underlying human capability relevant. That is his stated philosophy, not proof that creative work is unaffected.
“Creative work” covers different tasks, and the effects can differ across them:
- Concept development: Generating visual references and alternatives can help a creator brainstorm or communicate a direction.
- Production work: Rapid generation may change demand for some illustration, stock imagery, moodboarding, or concept-art assignments. A tool may augment one workflow while putting pressure on another.
- Creative direction: Selecting, editing, composing, and judging whether an image serves a story or brief remain distinct from producing possible images.
- Professional responsibility: A person or organization still has to decide what to publish, whether it is appropriate, and whether its use respects relevant rights and obligations.
These distinctions make “AI replaces artists” too blunt a verdict. Holz’s augmentation argument can describe how an individual uses the tool, while saying little on its own about changes to rates, commissions, or employment across the industry. The interview does not establish net job gains or losses.
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The VentureBeat report says Holz described artists asking for stronger imitation of their own styles so the tool could fit their existing process. He also acknowledged that the ability to copy could be used for good or harmful purposes. That account reports what Holz said about requests he encountered; it is not evidence that all artists want this, or that imitation of someone else’s work is permitted.
“Inspired by” and “copying” are not interchangeable artistic or legal categories. A creator asking to use a tool in their own style does not establish permission to imitate another living artist. Nor does a generated image that appears new to a user resolve disputes over training data, similarity, copyright, or authorship.
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In 2022, the interview also addressed artist replacement, plagiarism and training-data concerns, bias, stereotypes, explicit material, and moderation. Holz characterized outputs as intended to be novel, described the system as drawing inspiration from internet data, and said restrictions were intended to keep content broadly PG-13. These are attributed statements from the interview, not independent findings about legality, model behavior, or the effectiveness of moderation.
The Colorado State Fair controversy involving Jason M. Allen’s Midjourney-generated work, “Théâtre D’opéra Spatial,” was part of the wider public debate around AI-generated art. It made questions about the meaning of authorship and the role of human contribution harder to avoid; it did not settle every legal or ethical question about generative images.
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Midjourney is no longer accurately described as a Discord-only image generator. Its current documentation describes a web platform, image and video generation, a web-based Editor, and V8.1 as the live version. Features and terms can change, so readers should check the linked documentation for the current details.
The Editor supports Midjourney images and users’ own uploads. Its tools include Remix, inpainting or Vary Region, Pan, and Zoom Out. One technical qualification matters: V8.1 images can be used in the Editor, but the Editor’s underlying functionality is currently based on V6.1. Users are responsible for having the rights and permissions needed for uploaded material. See the Editor documentation.
The 2022 interview also discussed ambitions around 3D and expressed reluctance about video. Those were historical intentions, not a guide to the present product: current documentation includes video generation.
Current subscription options
Midjourney’s plan comparison lists the following prices and allowances. Annual figures are the listed totals, equivalent to the monthly amounts shown; the documentation says annual billing is 20% less than paying month by month. Prices and plan features may change.
| Plan | Monthly billing | Annual billing | Fast GPU time | Stealth Mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $10/month | $96/year ($8/month equivalent) | 3.3 hours/month | No |
| Standard | $30/month | $288/year ($24/month equivalent) | 15 hours/month | No |
| Pro | $60/month | $576/year ($48/month equivalent) | 30 hours/month | Yes |
| Mega | $120/month | $1,152/year ($96/month equivalent) | 60 hours/month | Yes |
According to Midjourney’s plan comparison, Standard, Pro, and Mega include unlimited image generation in Relax Mode; Pro and Mega also include unlimited image and standard-definition video generation in Relax Mode. “Unlimited” does not mean guaranteed unlimited speed: Midjourney’s Terms of Service make generation subject to reasonable rate limits. The same plan documentation lists extra GPU time at $4 per hour.
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Commercial use is not the same as copyright protection
Midjourney says users own the images and videos they create, to the extent permitted by applicable law. Its commercial-use guidance also says that a company with more than $1 million in annual gross revenue must use a Pro or Mega plan for commercial use. Upscaling another user’s image does not transfer ownership to the person who upscales it.
Those are contractual terms, not a guarantee that a generated image qualifies for copyright protection or is free of third-party claims in every jurisdiction. Midjourney does not provide legal advice; its commercial-use guidance directs users to consider applicable law and seek appropriate advice.
Creation is public by default
Midjourney says creations may appear on its Explore page. A private Discord message or private server does not, by itself, make a creation invisible to everyone else. Stealth Mode is available only on Pro and Mega. For stronger privacy, Midjourney advises combining Stealth Mode with the website Create page, Discord direct messages, or a private Discord server; material posted in shared Discord spaces can still be visible to other participants. Details are in the privacy guidance and Stealth Mode documentation.
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If you are working with unreleased products, client campaigns, or confidential concepts, consider whether those visibility rules meet the project’s requirements before generating or uploading material. A paid plan alone is not a substitute for checking where a particular creation will be visible.
Uploads require rights and permissions
Uploading a photograph, design, or other reference does not make it yours to use. Midjourney’s terms put responsibility on users for content they upload, edit, generate, and share, including ensuring they have the necessary rights and permissions. This is especially important for client work, third-party images, and material containing identifiable people.
Organizations may need controls Midjourney does not offer
Midjourney can be commercially useful without being a conventional enterprise software platform. Its group-plan documentation says it does not offer several features some organizations require, including SSO, centralized seat or administrator management, negotiated terms, and participation in vendor-security processes. It describes bulk billing for organizations needing at least 50 yearly Pro or Mega plans, but that does not replace those missing controls. See group plans and corporate billing.
For individual creators, the practical fit depends on whether fast visual exploration matters more than precise control, private-by-default work, or centralized administration. Work that needs exact text, consistent characters, brand fidelity, or editable production files may also require substantial selection and editing beyond a prompt.
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Imagination is not the same as authorship
Holz’s 2022 statement captured an appealing promise: technology can help people picture possibilities and move through ideas faster. Midjourney’s evolution—from a Discord-based image service to a broader web platform with image, video, and editing features—shows how far that interface has developed.
But making possibilities is only one part of creative work. Choosing what matters, shaping a result, respecting other people’s rights, and deciding what should be made remain consequential human judgments. Holz offered an argument for augmentation; whether that promise is fulfilled depends on the way the tool is built, used, and governed—and on who benefits from the changes it brings.
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