MAI-Image-2-Efficient is debuting on Microsoft Foundry and MAI Playground today, as Microsoft’s “best text-to-image model” yet. It’s essentially a faster and cheaper version of MAI-Image-2 that Microsoft claims is a “production workhorse” for businesses. “Use it when you need volume, speed, and tight cost control — product shots, marketing creatives, UI mockups, branded assets, batch pipelines,” says Microsoft.