Microsoft launched its second text-to-image model, MAI-Image-2, on Thursday. This is aimed at improving creative workflows, with a focus on photorealism, reliable text rendering, and detailed scene generation.

According to the company, the model produces images with natural lighting, accurate skin tones, and realistic environments, reducing the need for post-production work.

A key upgrade the company claims it has achieved is its ability to generate consistent in-image text, enabling use cases such as infographics, slides, posters, and diagrammes with greater accuracy. This addresses a longstanding limitation in image generation models where text often appears distorted.

The company claims the model is among the global top three `family’ models on the Arena.ai leaderboard. As of March 19, of the 51 models Arena.ai keeps track of, Microsoft's MAI-Image-2 is ranked fifth. Gemini’s three models — 3.1 Flash, 3 Pro Image 2K, and 3 Pro Image — dominated the top five, with OpenAI’s GPT-image-1.5 ranked second. Arena.ai is a crowdsourced platform that ranks large language models (LLMs) and other AI models based on user preferences.

MAI-Image-2 also targets complex and imaginative outputs, supporting cinematic compositions, and surreal visuals. The model was developed with inputs from photographers, designers, and visual storytellers to better align with practical creative needs.

The model is now available for preview through the MAI Playground, where users can test features and provide feedback. The Playground is the public testing environment for Microsoft’s in-house- AI models. The company said the system will gradually roll out across its ecosystem, including Microsoft Copilot and Bing Image Creator.

API access is currently limited to select enterprise customers such as WPP, with broader developer availability expected soon via Microsoft Foundry.

Microsoft said further updates are planned as it expands its next-generation AI infrastructure and model capabilities.

“It's shipping soon in Copilot and Bing Image Creator, as well as Microsoft Foundry... stay tuned for new releases and come join us on our Superintelligence mission,” Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman said in a post on X.

The launch comes as competition intensifies in generative AI, particularly in image generation, where companies are racing to improve realism, controllability, and production-ready outputs.