Hey Conscious Church Fam

It’s been a big week in the AI world — with tensions rising between OpenAI and Microsoft, and China doubling down on digital avatars that now outsell real influencers.

Meanwhile, Midjourney quietly stepped into the video space (and it was EPIC!).

In today's recap:

• ⚔️ OpenAI and Microsoft’s partnership is under serious strain

• 🤖 AI avatars in China are outselling their human counterparts

• 🎞 Midjourney launches animated video clips

• 🛠 Plus: Two tools for creating courses + church visuals in minutes

Let’s dive in 👇

💭 Josh’s Musings

This week I re-subscribed to Midjourney. Just the $10 plan to have a play. I’d paused it for a while, but after seeing the new video feature drop, I figured I’d jump back in and have a proper nose about.

Honestly… I’m blown away.

I know it feels like I say that every week, but seriously.

A year ago, AI-generated visuals still felt a bit “off” — weird hands, melted faces, strange limbs. But now? It’s ridiculous how good this stuff is. Especially over the last couple of months. The quality of image and motion generation has levelled up fast.

I’ve been using it this week on a few live projects, and it’s honestly shifting how I work.

Here’s how:

• I needed visuals for a project its a charity where using real images wasn’t appropriate — too sensitive. And stock photos just weren’t hitting the emotional tone. Midjourney let me generate completely original images that felt right and kept people safe.

• I built a blurred, slow-moving grassy background for an event theme, soft British wildflowers, textured, slightly out of focus. Perfect for lyrics or screen visuals behind worship.

• You can now just press animate on any previous image you’ve made. One click. And it turns into subtle, flowing motion, like a living background. Game changer for anyone building worship visuals, sermon bumpers, or even mood-setting loops.

• I’ve also been creating moodboards in Pinterest, then using that to prompt images in a consistent style for events and campaigns. That part’s not new, but with video now added? It completes the picture.

The crazy part? This is the worst it’s ever going to be.

We’re heading into a world where full, stylised, consistent motion visuals are going to be as easy to make as a Canva slide. And yeah, copyright issues, lawsuits, and all that are coming, but I’m glad midjourney are building a launching.

I can imagine a future where Disney or Netflix-style generators are locked behind brand subscriptions (like “subscribe to Pixar AI to generate in our style”).

But for now?

We’ve got the tools. We’ve got the freedom.

And for those of us trying to build beauty, tell truth, or communicate emotion — it’s a gift.

Just don’t outsource the heart.

The tools are powerful. But your voice still carries the weight and the necessary spark.

🙌Stay Curious, Stay Conscious, Stay Wild
Josh

LATEST NEWS

🧨 OPENAI VS MICROSOFT: THE BREAKUP BEGINS?

Recap: What was once AI’s golden duo is now teetering on the edge. OpenAI and Microsoft’s relationship has hit boiling point over IP disagreements, data access, and a push for independence.

The Details:

• The spark? OpenAI’s $3B acquisition of Windsurf — and a decision not to share IP with Microsoft (likely to protect it from GitHub Copilot).

• OpenAI is reportedly considering antitrust action against Microsoft — the “nuclear option”.

• Microsoft delayed support for OpenAI’s restructuring plans earlier this year.

• OpenAI is actively diversifying away from Microsoft — last week they partnered with Google for cloud compute.

Conscious Take:
Even the strongest partnerships face tension when power is involved. This isn’t just business politics — it’s a battle over the future of AI itself. We’re watching a foundational shift: from collaboration to competition. Companies obviously want the best for themselves, even if it means partnering and leveraging a connection just to get a leg up. What does it look like for us to model genuine collaboration and support, not just to serve our own interests?

🛍 AI AVATARS OUTSELL HUMANS IN CHINA

Recap: Chinese entrepreneur Luo Yonghao used two AI “digital twins” for a six-hour livestream — and generated over $7M in sales, outperforming his human-hosted shows.

The Details:

• The two AI hosts demo’d 133 products, using gestures and responding to live comments.

• They reached 13M viewers and outperformed Luo’s previous real-life stream in just 26 minutes.

• Baidu’s ERNIE model wrote over 97,000 characters of content in real-time.

• Over 100,000 AI “humans” now operate across China’s $946B livestreaming sector.

Conscious Take:
Efficiency is winning. But authenticity? Mehh that’s still up for grabs it seems. In a world of ultra-realistic AI presenters, what becomes of genuine presence? For the Church, this is more than a business insight, it’s a call to re-centre around real people, real stories, real prayer. Not just performance. There are certain things it makes sense to ‘outsource’. Genuine human interactions is not one in my opinion.

It makes me wonder what will become of social media and ecommerce platforms if the cost to create ai video avatar content becomes minimal and everyone can do it. What comes next? or after all the saturated feeds?

Food for thought.

🎥 MIDJOURNEY LAUNCHES VIDEO MODEL (FINALLY)

Recap: Midjourney has quietly rolled out its first-ever video feature, allowing users to turn images into short, animated clips. The timing? Just days after facing lawsuits from Disney and Universal.

The Details:

• The V1 model creates four 5-second clips (extendable to 20s), based on images or prompts.

• Videos include stylised camera moves and transitions, keeping MJ’s signature aesthetic.

• It’s 25x cheaper than competitors like Runway or Sora, according to the team.

• This release is being framed as the first step toward Midjourney’s “holodeck” vision.

Conscious Take:
The quality is absolutely fantastic. For creatives in the Kingdom, this unlocks new possibilities. Midjourney was already a favourite for visuals. Now it might be for motion, too. You can incorporate the footage as B Roll in a video or generate specific images rather than using Stock.

🔗 Trending Tools/Tips

• Course.im - Build beautiful online courses, fast. Clean UI inspired by Notion. Embed on your own site.

• Freepik AI - Create professional visuals in minutes using AI templates and premium stock assets.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain.”
— Psalm 127:1

Father, as the digital world shifts beneath our feet, may we stay grounded in You.
Help us not just build things that work, but things that matter.
Let our content carry compassion, not just clarity.
Let our tech carry truth, not just trends.

Amen.

Stay conscious,

Josh

P.S. If you liked this then please forward it on to someone you think would enjoy it. And if someone forwarded you this and you liked it, you can sign up here.