Announcing 3 new world class MAI models, available in Foundry

THE NEWS

What happened

Microsoft has announced three new 'MAI' models available in Microsoft Foundry: MAI-Transcribe-1 for speech-to-text, MAI-Voice-1 for voice generation, and MAI-Image-2 for image creation. These models emphasize speed, accuracy, and cost-efficiency, with specific pricing details provided for enterprise developers.

CONTEXT

Why it matters

Microsoft just dropped three new AI models in Foundry: MAI-Transcribe-1, MAI-Voice-1, and MAI-Image-2. They promise lightning-fast speeds, high accuracy, and enterprise-grade safety. Pricing is highly competitive, starting at $0.36/hour for transcription.

AT A GLANCE

Key facts

The main verified points:

• MAI-Transcribe-1 offers state-of-the-art transcription across the top 25 languages with a batch speed 2.5x faster than Azure Fast.
• MAI-Voice-1 can generate 60 seconds of audio in one second and allows users to create custom voices securely.
• MAI-Image-2 delivers at least 2x faster generation times on Foundry and Copilot compared to previous versions.
• Pricing starts at $0.36 per hour for transcription, $22 per 1M characters for voice, and $5-$33 per 1M tokens for image tasks.
• Enterprise partner WPP is already building with MAI-Image-2 at scale for creative campaigns.