Meta Partners with Midjourney 🤖!

There’s a new partnership on the block, and you probably didn’t see this one coming 😉. 

Forward thinkers, welcome to issue #122 of the Neural Frontier! 

It’s update o’clock and we’re diving into the Meta x Midjourney partnership, Claude’s new policy on training their models, and Google’s attempt to take on Duolingo. 

Enough said; let’s dig in!

In a rush? Here's your quick byte: 

🤖 Meta partners with Midjourney!

💬 Anthropic wants to start training its models on chat transcripts.

🗣️ Google takes on Duolingo with its new language learning features!

🎭 AI Reimagines: Assassin’s Creed meets Russia's tundra!

🎯 Everything else you missed this week.  

⚡ The Neural Frontier’s weekly spotlight: 3 AI tools making the rounds this week.

🤖 Meta partners with Midjourney!

Meta is doubling down on AI-generated imagery. The company announced a partnership with Midjourney to license its “aesthetic technology” for use in Meta’s AI models and products.

Here’s what’s happening:

🎨 AI Collaboration: Meta’s research teams will work directly with Midjourney to integrate the startup’s technology into future AI image and video models. Meta’s CEO of AI, Alexandr Wang, called it “technical collaboration,” signaling this goes beyond simple licensing.

📸 AI Everywhere:  Meta is already embedding AI image tools across its ecosystem:

• Meta AI app: social feed of AI-generated images/videos

• Facebook: AI image creation button in posts

• WhatsApp & Instagram: options to generate AI images in chats

💰 Meta’s AI Spending Spree:  This partnership is part of a broader push:

• $14B invested in Scale AI

• Acquisition of AI voice startup Play AI

• Aggressive hiring of AI talent, with packages exceeding $100M for top researchers

⚖️ Legal Spotlight: Midjourney faces lawsuits from Disney and Universal for allegedly training AI on copyrighted works. Meta and other AI developers face similar challenges, though courts have recently sided with tech companies.

💡 Why This Matters:  Meta aims to compete with OpenAI, Google, and other AI labs by enhancing its AI image and video capabilities. Midjourney’s aesthetic and technical expertise could power richer, more realistic content for Meta users across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp.

💬 Anthropic wants to start training its models on chat transcripts.

Anthropic is changing how it handles user data—and Claude users have until September 28 to decide whether their conversations will be used to train AI models.

Here’s what you need to know:

📝 Data Policy Shift: Previously, consumer chat data (Claude Free, Pro, Max, Claude Code) was not used for model training and was deleted within 30 days. Now, unless users opt out, new and resumed chats will be used to train AI models. Additionally, data retention extends to five years for those who don’t opt out.

🏢 Who’s Affected?

• Consumer tiers only: Claude Free, Pro, Max, Claude Code.

• Business tiers (Claude Gov, Work, Education, API access) remain unaffected, similar to OpenAI’s enterprise protections.

💡 Why the Change?

• Officially: “Help us improve model safety and capabilities, including coding, analysis, and reasoning.”

• Reality: Anthropic, like other AI developers, needs massive real-world data to stay competitive against rivals like OpenAI and Google.

⚖️ Privacy Concerns: The update may confuse users. Existing users see a pop-up with a prominent “Accept” button and a tiny toggle for training permissions — defaulted to “On.”

Critics warn this design may lead to unintentional consent, echoing broader concerns over AI user privacy. 

⏰ Next Steps for Users

• New users select their preference during signup.

• Existing users can defer via “Not now” but must decide by September 28.

• Only new/resumed chats and coding sessions are affected; past conversations that aren’t resumed remain untouched.

🗣️ Google takes on Duolingo with it’s new language learning features!

Google Translate is leveling up. The app is rolling out AI-powered features designed to help users practice languages and have live conversations in real time.

Here’s the 411:

🗣 New Language Practice Feature: It’s tailored for beginners and advanced learners, creating customized listening and speaking exercises. Users set skill level and learning goals, and Translate generates adaptive practice scenarios.

Exercises track daily progress and provide helpful hints, making it easier to gain conversational confidence. The beta is currently available for:

• English speakers practicing Spanish and French

• Spanish, French, and Portuguese speakers practicing English

🌐 Live Translation in Real Time

• Back-and-forth conversations with audio + on-screen translations in over 70 languages.

• Detects pauses, accents, and intonation for natural conversations.

• Works even in noisy environments like airports or cafés using advanced speech recognition models.

💡 How It Works: Tap “Practice” for exercises or “Live Translate” for conversations. The AI switches languages automatically, provides transcripts, and isolates speech for accuracy.

Overall, Google is positioning Translate not just as a translation tool, but as a personalized language learning companion, directly competing with platforms like Duolingo.

🎭 AI Reimagines: Assassin’s Creed meets Russia's tundra!

In today’s episode of AI-generated videos, we’re diving into an Assassin’s Creed game, but this time, set in Russia. 

Fan of the franchise or not, this one’s definitely worth the watch. Enjoy! 

🎯 Everything else you missed this week.

🤑 NVIDIA experiences record sales, with a 56% increase from the same period last year.

🤖 Anthropic launches an AI agent for Chrome.

🧮 MathGPT expands to 50+ institutions.

📽️ Google rolls out basic version of its AI-powered video editor to everyone.

⚖️ Anthropic settles book piracy lawsuit.

⚡ The Neural Frontier’s weekly spotlight: 3 AI tools making the rounds this week. 

1. 🎥 Reeroll: Reeroll is a conversational AI video creation platform that allows users to generate custom videos by chatting with AI and selecting from pre-built templates. 

2. 🎙️ Mumble Note: Mumble Note is an AI-powered voice notetaker that transforms spoken thoughts into organized, actionable content.

3. 💬 Zenzap: Zenzap is a comprehensive business communication platform that combines team messaging, task management, and document storage in a single intuitive interface.

This week brought us…

A headline partnership for creators, a worrying (and important) privacy change, and language features that feel built for everyday use.

 If one of these will impact your work, try it, keep an eye on it, or forward this to a colleague or friend who cares about the future of tech. 

As always, subscribe (if you’re new here) so you don’t miss next week’s roundup.

Catch you next week on the Neural Frontier. ✨