Overview
#MidjourneyV5 launched in March 2023, dramatically improving photorealism, hand rendering, and prompt accuracy in AI-generated images. The update blurred lines between AI art and photography.
Cultural Impact
V5’s photorealistic outputs sparked fears about AI-generated misinformation. Fake images (Pope in puffer jacket, Trump arrest, Pentagon explosion) went viral, demonstrating dangerous potential.
Hashtag uses:
- Photorealistic renders showcasing improvement
- Before/after V4 vs. V5 comparisons
- Artist concerns about job displacement
- Prompt engineering tutorials
- Fake news/misinformation warnings
- Creative use cases (concept art, marketing)
Key Moments
- March 15, 2023: V5 released to subscribers
- May 2023: Pentagon explosion fake image briefly crashes stock market
- July 2023: V5.2 improves aesthetics further
- December 2023: V6 enters alpha testing
Controversial Outputs
- Pope in Balenciaga puffer: Viral fake image fooled millions
- Trump arrest photos: Never happened, looked real
- Pentagon explosion: Briefly affected markets before debunked
Ethical Debates
Artists protested training on copyrighted work without consent. Copyright lawsuits emerged. Questions arose: Is AI art “real art”? Who owns outputs?