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What is a diffusion model in artificial intelligence?

Which artificial intelligence tools use diffusion models?

diffusion model, computational method used to generate high-quality images by reversing the process of adding noise to data. Diffusion models in artificial intelligence (AI) are inspired by the physical process of diffusion, in which molecules move from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration. AI models are trained to apply this concept in reverse. They start with a dataset that has been made unrecognizable by added noise, and then they incrementally reverse this noise to reconstruct the original data, resulting in the creation of high-quality images.

Diffusion models are trained using large datasets of images paired with text descriptions. In the training process, noise, or random values, are gradually added to the images in steps. A model considers the textual information, such as a user’s prompt, to incrementally remove the noise and generate a final image. This reverse diffusion process is crucial for the model to produce coherent and realistic images from the input data and to generate high-quality images over time.

Diffusion models have been employed in various AI tools, such as Midjourney and Stable Diffusion, both of which generate images from text prompts. These models have evolved to include features such as upscaling and other forms of image modification, allowing users more control over the generated images. Advances in diffusion models have led to improvements in image quality and realism, making them a significant component in the field of generative AI. The ability to create convincing deepfakes and other complex images highlights diffusion models’ capabilities and the ongoing development in this area.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Tara Ramanathan.