Microsoft has officially introduced the MAI-Image-2.7-Preview model, which is currently positioned as the second-best image editing AI globally according to the Artificial Analysis leaderboard. The model is currently ranked at 1,193 Elo, trailing only OpenAI's GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst (max).
The new model focuses on image-to-image editing tasks, allowing users to modify existing photos, designs, or screenshots using text instructions. It does not yet support text-to-image generation, though Microsoft has confirmed that this feature is planned for a future release.
Compared to the previous MAI-Image-2.6 version, the 2.7 iteration shows improvements across all 10 use cases and 7 categories of editing actions evaluated by Artificial Analysis. It demonstrates particular strength in scene and style editing, where it leads the next-best model by 24 Elo points.
The model is currently available for testing via Arena, Artificial Analysis, and the MAI Playground. Microsoft has not yet disclosed details regarding public API access, pricing, commercial launch dates, or the release of model weights for self-hosting.
