Midjourney acquires astrology app Co-Star as AI lab expands beyond image generation

Midjourney acquired the astrology app Co-Star

Midjourney, an AI lab best known for its LLM-powered image and video generators, has acquired the social astrology app Co-Star, according to Bloomberg. The deal terms were not disclosed. Co-Star, which reportedly has about 4.3 million monthly active users, is mostly used to help people determine their astrological birth charts, which they can then share with other friends on the app. Co-Star uses both AI and human writing to write horoscopes, compatibility assessments, and other advice based on a user's astrological information. Midjourney seems to be casting a wide net when it comes its product lineup. The company seems almost synonymous with the Discord server where users can generate text and images -- there is no standalone Midjourney app -- yet the AI lab is also trying to build a medical arm and spa. Why not throw an astrology app in the mix? Co-Star's team of two dozen employees has joined Midjourney as part of the acquisition. Given the team's experience in building consumer apps, Midjourney could perhaps finally get its own standalone app.

Midjourney bought the astrology app Co-Star

Midjourney, which has gone from generating AI cat images to full-body ultrasound scans, is getting into a new field: astrology. The AI startup announced on Thursday that it has acquired the personalized astrology app Co-Star, as reported earlier by Bloomberg. Co-Star is a free app that offers daily horoscopes and allows you to check your compatibility with friends. As noted on the app's FAQ page, it combines human insight, data from NASA, and AI to deliver personalized advice for users each day. The terms of Midjourney's deal, which reportedly closed in spring, haven't been disclosed. Midjourney founder David Holz says Co-Star founder Banu Guler will stay in charge of the app following the acquisition. At the same time, Guler will also take on the role of Midjourney's chief design officer, according to Bloomberg. Holz told the outlet that Guler and her team will help Midjourney build the company's first apps, including one dedicated to image generation. Midjourney currently houses its AI models on the web and through Discord.

'We're at a Crazy Moment in History': Midjourney Buys Astrology App Co-Star

Midjourney, the artificial intelligence lab that was an early contender in the AI image generation race, has purchased the astrology app Co-Star. The company plans to offer a new astrology-focused image generator, according to Bloomberg, a first for Midjourney since users must currently belong to the company's Discord server to use the product. Midjourney burst onto the scene in early 2022, shortly before the explosion of AI tools like ChatGPT. But it's lagged behind larger competitors like OpenAI and Google, which have thrown billions of dollars at AI image generation. Google's Nano Banana is considered head and shoulders above Midjourney in AI image quality, but the latter AI company has been experimenting in unexpected spaces like medical scans. Midjourney confirmed to Gizmodo over email that the acquisition of Co-Star actually happened in the spring, but news of the deal only broke this week. Financial terms weren't disclosed, and Midjourney declined to answer questions beyond just pointing to a blog post from David Holz, the founder of Midjourney. Holz says he first met the founder of Co-Star, Banu Guler, about five years ago and has been speaking with her for years about "the ways people reflect and make decisions both in the present, future, and over the past thousands of years." "I respect her insights immensely and am excited to have an opportunity to have her and her amazing team join Midjourney to help build a broader organization around Product and Design," wrote Holz. "Co-Star itself is a wonderful project, and it will remain entirely under Banu's control and direction. But now she will have radically expanded resources and teams to help us going forward on all of our projects." Co-Star gives users advice and words of affirmation based on the date and time of their birth, a pseudoscience that's become more popular in recent decades. The Co-Star app has about 4.3 million monthly active users, according to Bloomberg. Twenty-seven percent of American adults believe astrology is real, with younger people much more likely to believe. The gender divide on astrology is also fairly stark, with 43% of women between the ages of 18-49 believing astrology is real and just 20% of men in that same age group saying they believe in it, according to Pew Research. Those with more education are less likely to believe in astrology. Roughly 31% of Americans without a college degree believe astrology is real, while just 20% of those with a college degree think it has some basis in reality. Those with lower incomes are more likely to believe in astrology than those who make more money. Pew found that 37% of those in the lower-income bracket believe astrology is real, while just 16% of those with high incomes believe in the pseudoscience. Horoscopes convince people astrology has merit by deploying so-called Barnum statements, assertions that feel like they're incredibly specific but actually apply to a large number of people. Banu Guler will become the chief design officer of Midjourney, and the acquisition was announced in a tweet on Friday. "We're at a crazy moment in history," Guler wrote. "At a time when it feels like many labs are pushing toward replacing humans with computers, David and I are taking a different approach. We share the belief that computers can be tools that reveal our humanity to ourselves. Tools that show you what you mean, how you feel, what you're imagining, before you can articulate it yourself." The bullshit generator of AI paired with the bullshit generator of an astrology app truly feels like a match made in the heavens.

Midjourney announces surprise purchase of popular horoscope app Co-Star

One of the world's leading generative AI companies, with products licensed by tech powerhouses like Meta, has just announced its acquisition of one of the most popular astrology apps -- and we didn't have that on our Bingo cards in 2026. Banu Guler, founder and CEO of Co-Star Astrology, took to X recently to announce her company's acquisition by AI lab Midjourney, best known for making the generative AI tools used by popular services like Discord and Facebook. And because, on its surface, this is an odd acquisition to say the least, Guler went into some detail about the shared origins of these two companies: In a nod to the general public's fear of artificial intelligence (a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 71% of Americans worry that their job will be replaced by AI), Guler took pains to distinguish the Co-Star/Midjourney partnership by pointing to the shared interests she has with Midjourney founder David Holz as well as his lab's commitment to "beauty, imagination, and supporting human thriving with technology." And to further reassure Guler's users, most of whom are young and therefore no strangers to tech-induced anxiety, Midjourney used its announcement to reiterate that Guler would retain "complete control" of Co-Star. But what does a generative AI company want with an astrology app? Because of the company's forays into health, including the development of a full-body ultrasonic scanner, as well as Midjourney Medical, a novel concept that would see the AI company create a series of spas focused around combining older technology (saunas, hot tubs and cold plunges) with the aforementioned ultrasonic scanning technology, it's possible that this is just another step towards a more holistic approach to healthcare, a kind of mind-body-spirit gambit that would cover all our bases. As a result of the partnership, Banu Guler will also become Midjourney's new Chief Design Officer, so we should expect to see some of the seamless design touches that made Co-Star such a standout success incorporated into the Midjourney ecosystem.

Midjourney acquires Co-Star as AI lab expands into apps By Investing.com

Investing.com - Artificial intelligence lab Midjourney Inc. has acquired astrology app Co-Star and is developing its first standalone image-generation app as the startup expands beyond its core generative AI subscription service. The acquisition closed this spring, Midjourney said, declining to disclose financial terms. Co-Star uses birth charts and a combination of AI and human writing to offer personalized advice and assess compatibility between users and their friends. The free app, which offers some paid features, has about 4.3 million monthly active users, according to Sensor Tower data. Midjourney, best known for its subscription service that lets customers create images and video clips, announced last month it is working on a full-body ultrasound machine that will eventually be installed in spa locations. The device is one of eight projects the San Francisco-based startup is currently focused on, split between four hardware and four software initiatives. Co-Star founder Banu Guler will retain control and direction of the app while joining Midjourney to help build the organization around product and design. Midjourney founder David Holz said he first met Guler over five years ago and the two began talking frequently, often several hours a week. Holz said the company plans to announce half a dozen similarly ambitious projects over the next six months. Co-Star will have expanded resources and teams to support Midjourney's projects going forward, the company said. This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.