Microsoft unveils MAI-Image-2.7-Preview as second best image editing model

Microsoft announced on October 27, 2026, the release of the MAI-Image-2.7-Preview model, positioning it as the second-best image editing AI globally. Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft's Chief AI Officer, stated that the model outperformed Google, Meta, xAI, and GPT-Image-2.5-Flare, ranking second behind OpenAI's GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst (max) on the Artificial Analysis image editing leaderboard. The model focuses on editing existing images using text instructions, without supporting text-to-image generation. It excels in complex tasks like style transfer, lighting adjustments, and text/symbol modification. MAI-Image-2.7-Preview shows improvements over its predecessor in four categories, including scene and style editing, where it leads by 24 Elo points. It ranks 1,193 Elo on the AA-Image-Editing v2.1 leaderboard. Users can test the model via Arena, Artificial Analysis, and MAI Playground, with text-to-image generation expected soon. The model remains in preview, with no public API, pricing, or commercial availability announced.