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Public dossier section · @ben

sources

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.

Back to the full profile · Markdown version · Original document

Published text

Original source occurrences

  1. how viral ai slop took over · theguardian.com · 2025-12-27 (day) · original ID: src-ci-guardian-slop · Other public citations of this URL

    slop genre history; woty

  2. dall·e 2 cover details, karen x · hearstmagazinesinternational.com · 2022-06 (month) · original ID: src-ci-hearst-cosmo · Other public citations of this URL

    dall·e 2 cover details, karen x. cheng prompt

  3. horrible, horrible way to interact · hacker news · 2023-12 (month) · original ID: src-ci-hn-discord-ui · Other public citations of this URL

    "horrible, horrible way to interact"; install-base counter-argument

  4. deepfake hands angle · independent.co.uk · 2023-03 (month) · original ID: src-ci-independent-hands · Other public citations of this URL

    "deepfake hands" angle

  5. open-beta mechanics, discord-native distribution, profitable claim · itdoeswhatnow.com · 2022-07-12 (day) · original ID: src-ci-itdoeswhatnow-beta · Other public citations of this URL

    open-beta mechanics, discord-native distribution, profitable claim

  6. procedural history · jdsupra.com · 2023-09 (month) · original ID: src-ci-jdsupra-theatre · Other public citations of this URL

    procedural history; photoshop/gigapixel steps

  7. protest coverage + faq fallout · kotaku.com · 2022-12-13 (day) · original ID: src-ci-kotaku-artstation · Other public citations of this URL

    protest coverage + faq fallout

  8. discord as the genai foundation · blog.kowatek.com · 2024-05-29 (day) · original ID: src-ci-kowatek-discord · Other public citations of this URL

    20.3m largest community; genai-on-discord pattern

  9. entities suing · latimes.com · 2025-09-04 (day) · original ID: src-ci-latimes-wb · Other public citations of this URL

    entities suing; jury demand

  10. transformative-fair-use analysis · law.com · 2025-08-08 (day) · original ID: src-ci-lawcom-fairuse · Other public citations of this URL

    transformative-fair-use analysis; meta/anthropic rulings context

  11. co-imaginative-space framing · lbbonline.com · 2022 (year) · original ID: src-ci-lbb-midjourney · Other public citations of this URL

    co-imaginative-space framing; holz quotes

  12. timeline · leadstories.com · 2023-03 (month) · original ID: src-ci-leadstories-trump · Other public citations of this URL

    timeline; "making pictures of trump getting arrested…" verbatim; ban tweet

  13. sims/final-medium verbatim quotes · levelup.gitconnected.com · 2024 (year) · original ID: src-ci-levelup-sims · Other public citations of this URL

    "sims"/final-medium verbatim quotes

  14. human-authorship doctrine cite · lexology.com · 2023-02-28 (day) · original ID: src-ci-lexology-zarya · Other public citations of this URL

    human-authorship doctrine cite

  15. limited monopoly…must give way to fair use verbatim · lightreading.com · 2025-08 (month) · original ID: src-ci-lightreading-mj-answer · Other public citations of this URL

    "limited monopoly…must give way to fair use" verbatim

  16. allens ai won · linkedin · 2022-09-06 (day) · original ID: src-ci-linkedin-roose · Other public citations of this URL

    allen's "ai won. humans lost." verbatim

  17. nightshade rationale · marketplace.org · 2024-02-05 (day) · original ID: src-ci-marketplace-nightshade · Other public citations of this URL

    nightshade rationale; opt-out futility quote

  18. extended quotes incl · marvinliao.medium.com · 2023-10-08 (day) · original ID: src-ci-marvinliao-information · Other public citations of this URL

    extended quotes incl. michael stewart m12 line

  19. vibe slop/class-anxiety counter-read · yogeshmalik.medium.com · 2025 (year) · original ID: src-ci-medium-vibe-slop · Other public citations of this URL

    "vibe slop"/class-anxiety counter-read

  20. $500m 2025 · megaoneai.com · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-ci-megaone-revenue · Other public citations of this URL

    $500m 2025; ~100 staff; 19.83m accounts jan 2026; figures unverified

  21. version history: v8 · docs.midjourney.com · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-ci-midjourney-docs-version · Other public citations of this URL

    version history: v8.1 default 6/10–7/23/26; v8.2 default 7/24/26

  22. v6 prompting/text behavior analysis · midlibrary.io · 2023-12 (month) · original ID: src-ci-midlibrary-v6 · Other public citations of this URL

    v6 prompting/text behavior analysis

  23. extended holz its just like an engine quote · mindmatters.ai · 2022-08-15 (day) · original ID: src-ci-mindmatters-holz · Other public citations of this URL

    extended holz "it's just like an engine" quote

  24. brand-design breakdown · mindstudio.ai · 2025 (year) · original ID: src-ci-mindstudio-compare · Other public citations of this URL

    brand-design breakdown; imagen 3 text gains

  25. rutkowski 93k prompts vs picasso 2k · technologyreview.com · 2022-09-16 (day) · original ID: src-ci-mit-rutkowski · Other public citations of this URL

    rutkowski 93k prompts vs picasso 2k; midjourney discord usage

  26. midjourney's answer · cdn.arstechnica.net · 2025-08-06 (day) · original ID: src-ci-mj-answer · Other public citations of this URL

    fair use; "tens of millions of users"; plaintiffs' employees subscribe; iger quote

  27. --ow range, v7-only · docs.midjourney.com · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-ci-mj-docs-omni · Other public citations of this URL

    --ow range, v7-only

  28. batch-size gpu costs · docs.midjourney.com · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-ci-mj-docs-video · Other public citations of this URL

    batch-size gpu costs; sd/hd tiers

  29. 24-image drafts · updates.midjourney.com · 2026-06-16 (day) · original ID: src-ci-mj-draft-v81 · Other public citations of this URL

    24-image drafts; --preview program

  30. 720p · updates.midjourney.com · 2025-08-07 (day) · original ID: src-ci-mj-hd-video · Other public citations of this URL

    720p; 3.2× cost; pro/mega

  31. unified editor · updates.midjourney.com · 2024-08-16 (day) · original ID: src-ci-mj-image-editor · Other public citations of this URL

    unified editor; rooms↔discord mirroring

  32. omni-reference launch mechanics · updates.midjourney.com · 2025-05 (month) · original ID: src-ci-mj-omni · Other public citations of this URL

    omni-reference launch mechanics

  33. v7 sref system + --sref random · updates.midjourney.com · 2025-06-16 (day) · original ID: src-ci-mj-sref-v7 · Other public citations of this URL

    v7 sref system + --sref random

  34. version 6.1 release notes · updates.midjourney.com · 2024-07-30 (day) · original ID: src-ci-mj-v61 · Other public citations of this URL

    v6.1 release notes; default

  35. turbo/relax, draft mode, roadmap · updates.midjourney.com · 2025-04-04 (day) · original ID: src-ci-mj-v7-alpha · Other public citations of this URL

    turbo/relax, draft mode, roadmap

  36. v8 alpha · updates.midjourney.com · 2026-03-17 (day) · original ID: src-ci-mj-v8-alpha · Other public citations of this URL

    v8 alpha; --hd 2k; --q 4; new prompting

  37. speed/cost cuts · updates.midjourney.com · 2026-04-14 (day) · original ID: src-ci-mj-v81-alpha · Other public citations of this URL

    speed/cost cuts; hd default

  38. 4s sd/12s hd · updates.midjourney.com · 2026-06-11 (day) · original ID: src-ci-mj-v81-default · Other public citations of this URL

    4s sd/12s hd; text rendering; v8.0 deprecation

  39. version 8.2 release notes · updates.midjourney.com · 2026-07-24 (day) · original ID: src-ci-mj-v82 · Other public citations of this URL

    v8.2 aesthetics/personalization; new edit model replaces omni/char-ref/retexture

  40. image-to-video · updates.midjourney.com · 2025-06-18 (day) · original ID: src-ci-mj-video-v1 · Other public citations of this URL

    image-to-video; 8× cost; "25 times cheaper"; extend to ~21s

  41. web open to all · updates.midjourney.com · 2024-08-23 (day) · original ID: src-ci-mj-web-open · Other public citations of this URL

    web open to all; discord/google account merge

  42. discords biggest failure argument · mofactor.com · 2026-03-08 (day) · original ID: src-ci-mofactor-discord · Other public citations of this URL

    "discord's biggest failure" argument; peak ~20.9m members sept 2024; dau 1.2–2.5m

  43. gpus are melting altman quote · nbcnews.com · 2025-03-26 (day) · original ID: src-ci-nbc-ghibli · Other public citations of this URL

    "gpus are melting" altman quote; 11k-creatives letter context

  44. 4,700-name exhibit vs 16k sheet · nbcnews.com · 2024-01 (month) · original ID: src-ci-nbc-list · Other public citations of this URL

    4,700-name exhibit vs 16k sheet; wes anderson/groening

  45. wide-scale misinformation framing · nbcnews.com · 2023-03-27 (day) · original ID: src-ci-nbc-pope · Other public citations of this URL

    "wide-scale misinformation" framing; buzzfeed motive quote

  46. first-of-its-kind · npr.org · 2025-06-12 (day) · original ID: src-ci-npr-disney · Other public citations of this URL

    "first-of-its-kind"; 110pp; "virtual vending machine"; ~20m users

  47. is it art canon · the new york times · 2022-09-16 (day) · original ID: src-ci-nyt-are-pictures-art · Other public citations of this URL

    "is it art" canon

  48. $432,500 sale · the new york times · 2018-10-25 (day) · original ID: src-ci-nyt-belamy · Other public citations of this URL

    $432,500 sale; >40× estimate

  49. signed algorithm marketing · the new york times · 2018-10-22 (day) · original ID: src-ci-nyt-belamy-preview · Other public citations of this URL

    "signed 'algorithm'" marketing

  50. i won, and i didnt break any rules · cs.uwaterloo.ca · 2022-09-02 (day) · original ID: src-ci-nyt-roose-art-prize · Other public citations of this URL

    "i won, and i didn't break any rules"; backlash documented; original: nyt the shift, kevin roose

  51. last week tonight on ai images · youtube · 2022-08-28 (day) · original ID: src-ci-oliver-youtube · Other public citations of this URL

    10-min midjourney/ai-images segment; 5.0m views

  52. statista table: 19 · openaijourney.com · 2024 (year) · original ID: src-ci-openaijourney-stats · Other public citations of this URL

    statista table: 19.93m april 2024 = #1 discord server

  53. laion-400m vs midjourney allegation detail · storage.courtlistener.com · 2024-08-12 (day) · original ID: src-ci-orrick-order · Other public citations of this URL

    laion-400m vs midjourney allegation detail

  54. signed-fakes confusion detail · pcgamer.com · 2023 (year) · original ID: src-ci-pcgamer-rutkowski · Other public citations of this URL

    signed-fakes confusion detail

  55. safeguards-insufficient quote · pcmag.com · 2023-03-30 (day) · original ID: src-ci-pcmag-free-trial · Other public citations of this URL

    safeguards-insufficient quote

  56. discord-post announcement · pcworld.com · 2023-03 (month) · original ID: src-ci-pcworld-free-trial · Other public citations of this URL

    discord-post announcement; $10/mo floor

  57. open to everyone beta, discord-only catch · pcworld.com · 2022-07-26 (day) · original ID: src-ci-pcworld-open-beta · Other public citations of this URL

    "open to everyone" beta, discord-only catch

  58. strategic-infrastructure framing · perplexityaimagazine.com · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-ci-perplexity-sd-vs-mj · Other public citations of this URL

    strategic-infrastructure framing

  59. viral resurfacing of forbes quotes · petapixel.com · 2022-12-21 (day) · original ID: src-ci-petapixel-consent · Other public citations of this URL

    viral resurfacing of forbes quotes; metadata rebuttals

  60. public open-source release · petapixel.com · 2022-08-23 (day) · original ID: src-ci-petapixel-sd · Other public citations of this URL

    public open-source release; mostaque quote

  61. competitive context vs veo/sora/firefly · petapixel.com · 2025-06-20 (day) · original ID: src-ci-petapixel-v1-video · Other public citations of this URL

    competitive context vs veo/sora/firefly

  62. escape from discord island quote · petapixel.com · 2024-08-23 (day) · original ID: src-ci-petapixel-web · Other public citations of this URL

    "escape from discord island" quote; 25-image trial; 10k-image alpha history

  63. gold standard for pure aesthetic quality vs control weakness · blog.picassoia.com · 2025 (year) · original ID: src-ci-picassoia-compare · Other public citations of this URL

    "gold standard for pure aesthetic quality" vs control weakness

  64. ~21m largest server · blog.pnly.io · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-ci-pnly-discord · Other public citations of this URL

    ~21m largest server; guide/moderator structure; 200 newbie channels

  65. chronology cross-check · populartimelines.com · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-ci-populartimelines-mj · Other public citations of this URL

    chronology cross-check

  66. 2d→3d strategic read · press.farm · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-ci-pressfarm-3d · Other public citations of this URL

    2d→3d strategic read; leap motion context

  67. no consent, no credit, no compensation verbatim · prnewswire · 2023-01 (month) · original ID: src-ci-prnewswire-classaction · Other public citations of this URL

    "no consent, no credit, no compensation" verbatim

  68. origin story · chieftain.com · 2022-08-31 (day) · original ID: src-ci-pueblo-chieftain · Other public citations of this URL

    origin story; $11/entry; disclosure at drop-off

  69. waic remarks · news.qq.com · 2023-07-07 (day) · original ID: src-ci-qq-waic · Other public citations of this URL

    waic remarks; name from 庄周/zhuang zhou; "extension of ourselves"

  70. arena elos: recraft v3 #1, flux1 · recraft.ai · 2025 (year) · original ID: src-ci-recraft-comparison · Other public citations of this URL

    arena elos: recraft v3 #1, flux1.1 #2, ideogram v2 #3, mj v6.1 #4

  71. sheet tabs incl · theregister.com · 2024-01-04 (day) · original ID: src-ci-register-list · Other public citations of this URL

    sheet tabs incl. nsfw-blocklist detail

  72. class action filed · reuters · 2023-01-17 (day) · original ID: src-ci-reuters-andersen-filed · Other public citations of this URL

    class action filed; laion-5b; saveri/butterick

  73. motions to dismiss arguments · reuters · 2023-04-19 (day) · original ID: src-ci-reuters-dismiss-april · Other public citations of this URL

    motions to dismiss arguments

  74. disney and universal sue · reuters · 2025-06-11 (day) · original ID: src-ci-reuters-disney · Other public citations of this URL

    filing; "bottomless pit of plagiarism"

  75. core claims proceed · reuters · 2024-08-13 (day) · original ID: src-ci-reuters-orrick · Other public citations of this URL

    core claims proceed; discovery

  76. traced to guerrero art in midjourney official fb group · reuters · 2023-03 (month) · original ID: src-ci-reuters-pope-factcheck · Other public citations of this URL

    traced to "guerrero art" in midjourney official fb group

  77. coverage of zarya decision · reuters · 2023-02-22 (day) · original ID: src-ci-reuters-zarya · Other public citations of this URL

    coverage of zarya decision

  78. $200m arr 2023 · sacra · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-ci-sacra-midjourney · Other public citations of this URL

    $200m arr 2023; 40–45 staff; self-funded

  79. deepfates/willison coinage chain · scientificamerican.com · 2025 (year) · original ID: src-ci-sciam-slop · Other public citations of this URL

    deepfates/willison coinage chain; willison definition verbatim

  80. discord, the superapp for ai · signumgc.substack.com · 2024 (year) · original ID: src-ci-signum-discord · Other public citations of this URL

    19.8m members; 13m→19.8m yoy; discord monetization angles

Structured research records