Public dossier section · @ben
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This is @ben's profile revision 1. The original date and editorial confidence below are attributed to its publisher, not independent verification.
Original credited author: Hraness
AI-drafted at Ben Guo's direct request and credited to Hraness; every claim links to its cataloged source.
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midjourney: sources
every source cited in the midjourney history, with its date and type.
- verge-interview digest — 80.lv (2022, reporting). verge-interview digest; cars/walking analogy verbatim
- pseudomnesia = fake memories — abc.net.au (2023-04-18, reporting). pseudomnesia = "fake memories"
- social-inspiring vs distracting — adamfard.com (undated, reference). social-inspiring vs distracting; privacy intimidation
- revenue-vs-traffic divergence interpretation — adjacent.media (2025, reference). revenue-vs-traffic divergence interpretation
- cosmopolitan cover = dall·e 2 (misattribution flag) — adweek (2022-06, reporting). cosmopolitan cover = dall·e 2 (misattribution flag)
- worlds first ai magazine cover — aibusiness.com (2022-06-27, reporting). "world's first ai magazine cover"; notes economist used midjourney for inset
- v1 video hands-on guide (misdated) — aimagicx.com (2026, reference). misdates v1 video to april 2026 — kept only as an example of sloppy 2026 secondary coverage, not for facts
- monthly visit series 23 — admin.aitools.xyz (2026-06, reporting). monthly visit series 23.1m (jul 25) → 10.47m (jun 26)
- sd repo dormant since jan 2025 — aivaultblog.com (2026, reference). sd repo dormant since jan 2025; flux as open heir
- decision analysis — akingump.com (2023-09, reporting). decision analysis
- original complaint text — ipwatchdog.com (2023-01-13, primary). original complaint text; "21st-century collage tools"
- v5 mimicking news agency photos style — pbs newshour (2023-03-23, reporting). v5 mimicking "news agency photos" style; tens of thousands of likes
- third studio — associated press (2025-09-04, reporting). third studio; superman/bugs bunny; "illegal copies" training allegation
- early suit coverage — appleinsider.com (2023-01-16, reporting). early suit coverage
- protest origin, nanitchkov image, counts — arstechnica.com (2022-12-14, reporting). protest origin, nanitchkov image, counts
- infringement by design — arstechnica.com (2024-08, reporting). "infringement by design"; lanham survives
- v5 attribution — arstechnica.com (2023-03, reporting). v5 attribution; context-note history
- arrest word ban — arstechnica.com (2023-03, reporting). "arrest" word ban; trump-name blocking; content-policy error text
- v5 alpha — arstechnica.com (2023-03-16, reference). v5 alpha; hands; version chronology (v3 aug 2022, v4 nov 2022)
- crazy update wieland quote — arstechnica.com (2024-01, reference). "crazy update" wieland quote; detail question
- 200-image profiling requirement — arstechnica.com (2025-04, reporting). 200-image profiling requirement
- warner bros. sues — arstechnica.com (2025-09, reporting). "defiant and undeterred"; protections removed; $150k/work
- registration-history detail — arstechnica.com (2023-02, reporting). registration-history detail
- reaches for beauty vs reaches for control — arteza.ai (2026, reference). "reaches for beauty" vs "reaches for control"
- identifies dall·e 2 as the tool — artforum.com (2023-04-19, reporting). identifies dall·e 2 as the tool
- 43-page response — news.artnet.com (2025-08, reporting). 43-page response; "cannot have it both ways"
- segment details, midjourney discord usage — news.artnet.com (2022-08-30, reporting). segment details, midjourney discord usage
- the 16,000-name style list — artnews.com (2024-01-02, reporting). 16k-name sheet; 6-yr-old hyan tran; jon lam screenshots
- leak mechanics — theartnewspaper.com (2024-01-04, reporting). leak mechanics; holz discord sharing; style-mimicry purpose
- the original midjourney alex jones illustrations — theatlantic.com (2022-08, reporting). the original midjourney alex jones illustrations
- warzels apology, prompt text verbatim — theatlantic.com (2022-08, reporting). warzel's apology, prompt text verbatim
- $300m 2024 claim — bbc.com (2025-06-12, reporting). $300m 2024 claim; character list; lawyer skepticism
- refusal — bbc.co.uk (2023-04-18, reporting). refusal; "ai is not photography" verbatim
- 400k+ prompts — bbc.com (2023-07, reporting). 400k+ prompts; "taken from us so easily" verbatim
- ex-google brain/imagen founders named — betakit.com (2023-08-24, reporting). ex-google brain/imagen founders named
- bfl launch — bfl.ai (2024-08-01, primary). bfl launch; flux.1 suite; $31m a16z; sd-lineage creds
- $200m/40-person framing — bigtechwire.com (2023-09-09, reporting). $200m/40-person framing; openai contrast
- slop layer framing — bloodinthemachine.com (2025, reporting). "slop layer" framing; 2023 chatgpt+midjourney ignition claim
- legible-text milestone vs mj/dall·e/sd failures — bloomberg (2023-10-03, reporting). legible-text milestone vs mj/dall·e/sd failures
- exhibit examples (superman texting — bloomberg (2025-09-04, reporting). exhibit examples (superman texting; batman+r2-d2)
- 110-pp complaint analysis — boyarmiller.com (2025, reporting). 110-pp complaint analysis; user estimates
- the trump-arrest images — buzzfeednews.com (2023-03-22, reporting). higgins ~50 images; reported ban; "took on a life of its own"
- millions of views — cbsnews.com (2023-03-28, reporting). millions of views; deepfake-genre context
- colorado local coverage — cbsnews.com (2022-09-03, reporting). colorado local coverage
- cohen engineering history — computerhistory.org (undated, primary). cohen engineering history; collaboration framing
- uk pickup of oliver segment — chortle.co.uk (2022-08-29, reporting). uk pickup of oliver segment
- niji launch w/ spellbrush — ckovalev.com (2022-12-23, reference). niji launch w/ spellbrush; official announcement text
- national broadcast pickup — cnn.com (2022-09-03, reporting). national broadcast pickup; $300 prize; $750 sales
- definitional analysis — igp.sipa.columbia.edu (2026-06, reference). definitional analysis; john oliver 2025 slop episode note
- latent-diffusion lineage — github (undated, repo). latent-diffusion lineage; laion-5b training note; cvpr '22 authors
- orrick quote context — v2.courthousenews.com (2024-08-13, reporting). orrick quote context
- most iconic prompt… a meme verbatim — creativebloq.com (2023-05-31, interview). "most iconic prompt… a meme" verbatim
- warzel backlash metrics, apology coverage — the-decoder.com (2022-08, reporting). warzel backlash metrics, apology coverage
- claims sota over mj v6/dall·e 3 — the-decoder.com (2024-08-03, reporting). claims sota over mj v6/dall·e 3
- serious midjourney contender — the-decoder.com (2023-08-24, reporting). "serious midjourney contender"; browser-based contrast
- hardware team launch — the-decoder.com (2024, reporting). hardware team launch; "slow game engine"; 60fps worlds
- ahmad abbas hire — the-decoder.com (2024, reporting). ahmad abbas hire; 3d-data-capture focus; jan 2024 discord mentions; "will make the orb"
- onboarding mechanics — the-decoder.com (2025-04-04, reporting). onboarding mechanics
- trial return — the-decoder.com (2024-08-21, reporting). trial return; ideogram-2.0 timing
- opt-out honored by stability, undone by community lora — decrypt.co (2023, reporting). opt-out honored by stability, undone by community lora
- minor text drawing ability verbatim — decrypt.co (2023-12, reporting). "minor text drawing ability" verbatim; dall·e 3 comparison
- surfboards/water quote verification — dev.to (undated, reporting). surfboards/water quote verification
- wieland/nick st — digitaltrends.com (2023-03-18, reporting). wieland/nick st. pierre reactions
- 1m-member cap breach — discord (undated, primary). 1m-member cap breach; 7m servers installed app; mega-server engineering
- how a computer designed this week's cover — economist.com (2022-06-11, reference). midjourney cover; ~250 prompts/~1000 images (archive.today mirror 0vrtz)
- midjourney illustrations for ai briefing — economist.com (2022-06-11, reporting). midjourney illustrations for ai briefing; style-name behavior noted
- onboarding/image-management complaints — embraceai.training (undated, community). onboarding/image-management complaints
- $150k/work statutory-damages math — endroid.com (2025, reporting). $150k/work statutory-damages math
- xi jinping ban/minimize drama context — engadget (2023-03-30, reporting). xi jinping ban/"minimize drama" context
- oliver/cabbage, 493 oliver images stat — ew.com (2022-08-29, reporting). oliver/cabbage, 493 oliver images stat
- midjourney name list, 25pp — storage.courtlistener.com (2024-10-31, primary). midjourney name list, 25pp
- fac: lanham act vs midjourney — storage.courtlistener.com (2023-11-29, primary). fac: lanham act vs midjourney; laion-5b allegations; midjourney "trained multiple models"
- cara third scrape — forbes (2026-08-23, reporting). cara third scrape; jingna zhang quote
- miyazaki-ethos irony framing — forbes (2025-03-27, reporting). miyazaki-ethos irony framing
- the consent answer — forbes (2022-09-16, interview). consent "no"; "hundred million images"; "big scrape"; no opt-out
- holz email on wapo misunderstandings — gizmodo.com (2023-03-30, reporting). holz email on wapo "misunderstandings"
- open-source release — research.google (2015-07-01, primary). open-source release; #deepdream
- original deepdream announcement — research.google (2015-06-17, primary). original deepdream announcement
- piracy framing — theguardian.com (2025-06-11, reporting). "piracy" framing; injunction sought
- early mainstream replacement-question framing — theguardian.com (2022-08-20, reporting). early mainstream replacement-question framing
Original source occurrences
- verge-interview digest · 80.lv · 2022 (year) · original ID: src-ci-80lv-holz · Other public citations of this URL
verge-interview digest; cars/walking analogy verbatim
- pseudomnesia = fake memories · abc.net.au · 2023-04-18 (day) · original ID: src-ci-abc-eldagsen · Other public citations of this URL
pseudomnesia = "fake memories"
- social-inspiring vs distracting · adamfard.com · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-ci-adamfard-ux · Other public citations of this URL
social-inspiring vs distracting; privacy intimidation
- revenue-vs-traffic divergence interpretation · adjacent.media · 2025 (year) · original ID: src-ci-adjacent-traffic · Other public citations of this URL
revenue-vs-traffic divergence interpretation
- cosmopolitan cover = dall·e 2 (misattribution flag) · adweek · 2022-06 (month) · original ID: src-ci-adweek-cosmo · Other public citations of this URL
cosmopolitan cover = dall·e 2 (misattribution flag)
- worlds first ai magazine cover · aibusiness.com · 2022-06-27 (day) · original ID: src-ci-aibusiness-cosmo · Other public citations of this URL
"world's first ai magazine cover"; notes economist used midjourney for inset
- v1 video hands-on guide (misdated) · aimagicx.com · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-ci-aimagicx-v1-handson · Other public citations of this URL
misdates v1 video to april 2026 — kept only as an example of sloppy 2026 secondary coverage, not for facts
- monthly visit series 23 · admin.aitools.xyz · 2026-06 (month) · original ID: src-ci-aitools-traffic · Other public citations of this URL
monthly visit series 23.1m (jul 25) → 10.47m (jun 26)
- sd repo dormant since jan 2025 · aivaultblog.com · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-ci-aivault-sd-vs-mj · Other public citations of this URL
sd repo dormant since jan 2025; flux as open heir
- decision analysis · akingump.com · 2023-09 (month) · original ID: src-ci-akingump-theatre · Other public citations of this URL
decision analysis
- original complaint text · ipwatchdog.com · 2023-01-13 (day) · original ID: src-ci-andersen-complaint · Other public citations of this URL
original complaint text; "21st-century collage tools"
- v5 mimicking news agency photos style · pbs newshour · 2023-03-23 (day) · original ID: src-ci-ap-trump-putin · Other public citations of this URL
v5 mimicking "news agency photos" style; tens of thousands of likes
- third studio · associated press · 2025-09-04 (day) · original ID: src-ci-ap-wb · Other public citations of this URL
third studio; superman/bugs bunny; "illegal copies" training allegation
- early suit coverage · appleinsider.com · 2023-01-16 (day) · original ID: src-ci-appleinsider-lawsuit · Other public citations of this URL
early suit coverage
- protest origin, nanitchkov image, counts · arstechnica.com · 2022-12-14 (day) · original ID: src-ci-ars-artstation · Other public citations of this URL
protest origin, nanitchkov image, counts
- infringement by design · arstechnica.com · 2024-08 (month) · original ID: src-ci-ars-orrick · Other public citations of this URL
"infringement by design"; lanham survives
- v5 attribution · arstechnica.com · 2023-03 (month) · original ID: src-ci-ars-pope · Other public citations of this URL
v5 attribution; context-note history
- arrest word ban · arstechnica.com · 2023-03 (month) · original ID: src-ci-ars-trump-ban · Other public citations of this URL
"arrest" word ban; trump-name blocking; content-policy error text
- v5 alpha · arstechnica.com · 2023-03-16 (day) · original ID: src-ci-ars-v5 · Other public citations of this URL
v5 alpha; hands; version chronology (v3 aug 2022, v4 nov 2022)
- crazy update wieland quote · arstechnica.com · 2024-01 (month) · original ID: src-ci-ars-v6 · Other public citations of this URL
"crazy update" wieland quote; detail question
- 200-image profiling requirement · arstechnica.com · 2025-04 (month) · original ID: src-ci-ars-v7 · Other public citations of this URL
200-image profiling requirement
- warner bros. sues · arstechnica.com · 2025-09 (month) · original ID: src-ci-ars-wb · Other public citations of this URL
"defiant and undeterred"; protections removed; $150k/work
- registration-history detail · arstechnica.com · 2023-02 (month) · original ID: src-ci-ars-zarya · Other public citations of this URL
registration-history detail
- reaches for beauty vs reaches for control · arteza.ai · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-ci-arteza-sd-vs-mj · Other public citations of this URL
"reaches for beauty" vs "reaches for control"
- identifies dall·e 2 as the tool · artforum.com · 2023-04-19 (day) · original ID: src-ci-artforum-eldagsen · Other public citations of this URL
identifies dall·e 2 as the tool
- 43-page response · news.artnet.com · 2025-08 (month) · original ID: src-ci-artnet-fairuse · Other public citations of this URL
43-page response; "cannot have it both ways"
- segment details, midjourney discord usage · news.artnet.com · 2022-08-30 (day) · original ID: src-ci-artnet-oliver · Other public citations of this URL
segment details, midjourney discord usage
- the 16,000-name style list · artnews.com · 2024-01-02 (day) · original ID: src-ci-artnews-list · Other public citations of this URL
16k-name sheet; 6-yr-old hyan tran; jon lam screenshots
- leak mechanics · theartnewspaper.com · 2024-01-04 (day) · original ID: src-ci-artnewspaper-list · Other public citations of this URL
leak mechanics; holz discord sharing; style-mimicry purpose
- the original midjourney alex jones illustrations · theatlantic.com · 2022-08 (month) · original ID: src-ci-atlantic-warzel-jones · Other public citations of this URL
the original midjourney alex jones illustrations
- warzels apology, prompt text verbatim · theatlantic.com · 2022-08 (month) · original ID: src-ci-atlantic-warzel-mistake · Other public citations of this URL
warzel's apology, prompt text verbatim
- $300m 2024 claim · bbc.com · 2025-06-12 (day) · original ID: src-ci-bbc-disney · Other public citations of this URL
$300m 2024 claim; character list; lawyer skepticism
- refusal · bbc.co.uk · 2023-04-18 (day) · original ID: src-ci-bbc-eldagsen · Other public citations of this URL
refusal; "ai is not photography" verbatim
- 400k+ prompts · bbc.com · 2023-07 (month) · original ID: src-ci-bbc-rutkowski · Other public citations of this URL
400k+ prompts; "taken from us so easily" verbatim
- ex-google brain/imagen founders named · betakit.com · 2023-08-24 (day) · original ID: src-ci-betakit-ideogram · Other public citations of this URL
ex-google brain/imagen founders named
- bfl launch · bfl.ai · 2024-08-01 (day) · original ID: src-ci-bfl-announce · Other public citations of this URL
bfl launch; flux.1 suite; $31m a16z; sd-lineage creds
- $200m/40-person framing · bigtechwire.com · 2023-09-09 (day) · original ID: src-ci-bigtechwire-200m · Other public citations of this URL
$200m/40-person framing; openai contrast
- slop layer framing · bloodinthemachine.com · 2025 (year) · original ID: src-ci-bloodinthemachine-slop · Other public citations of this URL
"slop layer" framing; 2023 chatgpt+midjourney ignition claim
- legible-text milestone vs mj/dall·e/sd failures · bloomberg · 2023-10-03 (day) · original ID: src-ci-bloomberg-ideogram · Other public citations of this URL
legible-text milestone vs mj/dall·e/sd failures
- exhibit examples (superman texting · bloomberg · 2025-09-04 (day) · original ID: src-ci-bloomberg-wb · Other public citations of this URL
exhibit examples (superman texting; batman+r2-d2)
- 110-pp complaint analysis · boyarmiller.com · 2025 (year) · original ID: src-ci-boyarmiller-disney · Other public citations of this URL
110-pp complaint analysis; user estimates
- the trump-arrest images · buzzfeednews.com · 2023-03-22 (day) · original ID: src-ci-buzzfeed-trump-ban · Other public citations of this URL
higgins ~50 images; reported ban; "took on a life of its own"
- millions of views · cbsnews.com · 2023-03-28 (day) · original ID: src-ci-cbs-pope · Other public citations of this URL
millions of views; deepfake-genre context
- colorado local coverage · cbsnews.com · 2022-09-03 (day) · original ID: src-ci-cbs-state-fair · Other public citations of this URL
colorado local coverage
- cohen engineering history · computerhistory.org · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-ci-chm-aaron · Other public citations of this URL
cohen engineering history; collaboration framing
- uk pickup of oliver segment · chortle.co.uk · 2022-08-29 (day) · original ID: src-ci-chortle-oliver · Other public citations of this URL
uk pickup of oliver segment
- niji launch w/ spellbrush · ckovalev.com · 2022-12-23 (day) · original ID: src-ci-ckovalev-niji · Other public citations of this URL
niji launch w/ spellbrush; official announcement text
- national broadcast pickup · cnn.com · 2022-09-03 (day) · original ID: src-ci-cnn-state-fair · Other public citations of this URL
national broadcast pickup; $300 prize; $750 sales
- definitional analysis · igp.sipa.columbia.edu · 2026-06 (month) · original ID: src-ci-columbia-slop-report · Other public citations of this URL
definitional analysis; john oliver 2025 slop episode note
- latent-diffusion lineage · github · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-ci-compvis-sd · Other public citations of this URL
latent-diffusion lineage; laion-5b training note; cvpr '22 authors
- orrick quote context · v2.courthousenews.com · 2024-08-13 (day) · original ID: src-ci-courthousenews-orrick · Other public citations of this URL
orrick quote context
- most iconic prompt… a meme verbatim · creativebloq.com · 2023-05-31 (day) · original ID: src-ci-creativebloq-rutkowski · Other public citations of this URL
"most iconic prompt… a meme" verbatim
- warzel backlash metrics, apology coverage · the-decoder.com · 2022-08 (month) · original ID: src-ci-decoder-artist-protest · Other public citations of this URL
warzel backlash metrics, apology coverage
- claims sota over mj v6/dall·e 3 · the-decoder.com · 2024-08-03 (day) · original ID: src-ci-decoder-flux · Other public citations of this URL
claims sota over mj v6/dall·e 3
- serious midjourney contender · the-decoder.com · 2023-08-24 (day) · original ID: src-ci-decoder-ideogram · Other public citations of this URL
"serious midjourney contender"; browser-based contrast
- hardware team launch · the-decoder.com · 2024 (year) · original ID: src-ci-decoder-orb · Other public citations of this URL
hardware team launch; "slow game engine"; 60fps worlds
- ahmad abbas hire · the-decoder.com · 2024 (year) · original ID: src-ci-decoder-orb-hire · Other public citations of this URL
ahmad abbas hire; 3d-data-capture focus; jan 2024 discord mentions; "will make the orb"
- onboarding mechanics · the-decoder.com · 2025-04-04 (day) · original ID: src-ci-decoder-v7 · Other public citations of this URL
onboarding mechanics
- trial return · the-decoder.com · 2024-08-21 (day) · original ID: src-ci-decoder-web · Other public citations of this URL
trial return; ideogram-2.0 timing
- opt-out honored by stability, undone by community lora · decrypt.co · 2023 (year) · original ID: src-ci-decrypt-rutkowski · Other public citations of this URL
opt-out honored by stability, undone by community lora
- minor text drawing ability verbatim · decrypt.co · 2023-12 (month) · original ID: src-ci-decrypt-v6 · Other public citations of this URL
"minor text drawing ability" verbatim; dall·e 3 comparison
- surfboards/water quote verification · dev.to · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-ci-devto-holz · Other public citations of this URL
surfboards/water quote verification
- wieland/nick st · digitaltrends.com · 2023-03-18 (day) · original ID: src-ci-digitaltrends-v5 · Other public citations of this URL
wieland/nick st. pierre reactions
- 1m-member cap breach · discord · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-ci-discord-case-study · Other public citations of this URL
1m-member cap breach; 7m servers installed app; mega-server engineering
- how a computer designed this week's cover · economist.com · 2022-06-11 (day) · original ID: src-ci-economist-cover · Other public citations of this URL
midjourney cover; ~250 prompts/~1000 images (archive.today mirror 0vrtz)
- midjourney illustrations for ai briefing · economist.com · 2022-06-11 (day) · original ID: src-ci-economist-foundation-models · Other public citations of this URL
midjourney illustrations for ai briefing; style-name behavior noted
- onboarding/image-management complaints · embraceai.training · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-ci-embraceai-ux · Other public citations of this URL
onboarding/image-management complaints
- $150k/work statutory-damages math · endroid.com · 2025 (year) · original ID: src-ci-endroid-disney · Other public citations of this URL
$150k/work statutory-damages math
- xi jinping ban/minimize drama context · engadget · 2023-03-30 (day) · original ID: src-ci-engadget-free-trial · Other public citations of this URL
xi jinping ban/"minimize drama" context
- oliver/cabbage, 493 oliver images stat · ew.com · 2022-08-29 (day) · original ID: src-ci-ew-oliver · Other public citations of this URL
oliver/cabbage, 493 oliver images stat
- midjourney name list, 25pp · storage.courtlistener.com · 2024-10-31 (day) · original ID: src-ci-exhibit-j · Other public citations of this URL
midjourney name list, 25pp
- fac: lanham act vs midjourney · storage.courtlistener.com · 2023-11-29 (day) · original ID: src-ci-fac-complaint · Other public citations of this URL
fac: lanham act vs midjourney; laion-5b allegations; midjourney "trained multiple models"
- cara third scrape · forbes · 2026-08-23 (day) · original ID: src-ci-forbes-cara-scrape · Other public citations of this URL
cara third scrape; jingna zhang quote
- miyazaki-ethos irony framing · forbes · 2025-03-27 (day) · original ID: src-ci-forbes-ghibli · Other public citations of this URL
miyazaki-ethos irony framing
- the consent answer · forbes · 2022-09-16 (day) · original ID: src-ci-forbes-holz · Other public citations of this URL
consent "no"; "hundred million images"; "big scrape"; no opt-out
- holz email on wapo misunderstandings · gizmodo.com · 2023-03-30 (day) · original ID: src-ci-gizmodo-free-trial · Other public citations of this URL
holz email on wapo "misunderstandings"
- open-source release · research.google · 2015-07-01 (day) · original ID: src-ci-google-deepdream · Other public citations of this URL
open-source release; #deepdream
- original deepdream announcement · research.google · 2015-06-17 (day) · original ID: src-ci-google-inceptionism · Other public citations of this URL
original deepdream announcement
- piracy framing · theguardian.com · 2025-06-11 (day) · original ID: src-ci-guardian-disney · Other public citations of this URL
"piracy" framing; injunction sought
- early mainstream replacement-question framing · theguardian.com · 2022-08-20 (day) · original ID: src-ci-guardian-naughton · Other public citations of this URL
early mainstream replacement-question framing