A new tool promises to bring low-cost, high-resolution artificial intelligence (AI) image generation to a wider audience. It can achieve this without powerful computers behind a paywall.

DemoFusion lets users generate a basic image using a freely available, open-source AI model like Stable Diffusion, then enhance it, adding more detail and features, at a much higher resolution. The necessary computing power is available on any mid-range gaming PC or a Mac M1.

Professor Yi-Zhe Song, whose group created the technique at the University of Surrey, said, "For the first time, our unique technique lets users enhance their AI-generated images without the need for vast computing power, or any re-training of the model.

"Digital art and imagery is a powerful medium which everyone should have access to—not just a handful of wealthy corporations. That's why we made DemoFusion publicly available. We believe it can enrich our lives, and everyone should be able to use it."