SPIN Processed
Source The Verge theverge.com Media Center-left
July 24, 2026 AI acquisition technology

Midjourney bought the astrology app Co-Star

Frames Midjourney’s acquisition of an astrology app as a natural, innovative extension of AI’s domain — implying AI’s authority now spans both medical imaging and celestial interpretation.

View original on theverge.com

Overview

Midjourney acquired Co-Star, a free astrology app that blends NASA data, human insight, and AI for personalized horoscopes — expanding Midjourney’s product scope beyond image generation into consumer-facing predictive personal services.

TL;DR

  • Midjourney acquired Co-Star, a free astrology app using NASA data and AI.
  • The deal closed in spring; financial terms were not disclosed.
  • Co-Star offers daily horoscopes and compatibility checks, positioning itself at the intersection of AI, astronomy, and self-help.

Key Stats

undisclosed

acquisition terms

No price, equity stake, or structure disclosed in the article.

Questions Answered

What happened?Who is involved?Why does this matter?

Keywords

MidjourneyCo-StarastrologyAI acquisition

Narrative Frame

category creation

The Hype + The Halo

Spin Score

75%

Emphasizes conceptual novelty and cross-domain ambition while minimizing technical incoherence, lack of clinical or astronomical validation, and absence of integration roadmap.

What the story wants you to believe

Midjourney isn’t just evolving its model — it’s redefining what ‘AI company’ means by claiming authority across wildly divergent domains: medical imaging, celestial interpretation, and social compatibility.

What it makes harder to question

Whether ‘AI + NASA data’ in astrology constitutes meaningful technical integration — or is purely rhetorical scaffolding to inflate Midjourney’s perceived scope and sophistication.

How the spin works

The story defines or dominates a category so the subject appears to be setting standards, leading the field, or owning the narrative. Watch for loaded terms such as full-body ultrasound scans, combines human insight, data from NASA, and AI. The distribution reads as editorial reporting. A pressure point: No explanation of how NASA data is used technically in horoscope generation.

Who Benefits If This Frame Spreads

  • Midjourney leadership (David Holz)

    Elevates founder narrative from 'art tool creator' to 'cross-domain AI architect'

    Associates Midjourney with both ultrasound-grade precision and cosmic-scale interpretation, reinforcing mythos of AI omnipotence.

The Frame

Midjourney as a boundary-pushing AI platform whose capabilities organically expand into any domain where 'AI + data + personalization' can be invoked.

Missing Context

  • No explanation of how NASA data is used technically in horoscope generation
  • No distinction between predictive modeling and symbolic interpretation in astrology
  • No discussion of regulatory boundaries between health tech and entertainment software

Spin Types

Every story gets a Spin Verdict: a primary spin type (and secondary when the framing blends), a specific tactic name, and a score for how strongly the narrative is steered. Examples beneath each type are tactics, not separate categories.

The Cushion

— Softens negative news

Reframes setbacks, layoffs, delays, losses, or criticism as necessary transitions, efficiency moves, temporary headwinds, or strategic resets — making the downside feel smaller, more acceptable, or less alarming.

Tactics: job-loss softening · restructuring framing · efficiency framing · strategic reset · temporary headwinds

The Shield

— Deflects blame

Shifts responsibility away from the actor — toward regulators, market forces, competitors, bad actors, legacy systems, or abstract risks — while positioning the subject as reactive, responsible, or protective.

Tactics: regulatory blame shift · macroeconomic headwinds · safety framing · bad-actor framing · market-pressure framing

The Hype

— Amplifies future upside primary

Emphasizes breakthrough potential, massive growth, democratization, transformation, or category disruption while downplaying uncertainty, cost, adoption risk, or timeline friction.

Tactics: innovation framing · democratization · breakthrough framing · category creation · moonshot framing

The Halo

— Associates with virtue secondary

Wraps the story in public-good language — responsibility, safety, inclusion, access, sustainability, national interest, or mission — so the subject appears morally aligned and criticism feels harder to make.

Tactics: altruistic reframing · public good · responsible AI framing · inclusion framing · mission-first framing

The Fog

— Obscures details

Uses jargon, passive voice, vague claims, complex phrasing, or missing specifics to make it harder to identify who decided what, what changed, what failed, or what trade-offs were made.

Tactics: strategic ambiguity · jargon saturation · passive voice distancing · accountability blur · undefined metrics

The Stampede

— Creates inevitability

Frames a trend, product, market shift, or decision as already happening, unavoidable, or something everyone must respond to now — creating urgency, FOMO, and pressure to accept the narrative.

Tactics: arms-race framing · inevitability framing · FOMO framing · adoption momentum · future-is-here framing

Spin Score measures how strongly the framing steers the narrative (0–100%). Higher scores mean more deliberate spin tactics — loaded language, selective emphasis, or omitted context. Many stories blend two types (e.g. Halo + Hype).

SpinGraph

How this belief gets built

Claim → Frame → Beneficiary → Gap → AI Risk

The story presents Midjour

  1. Claim

    Co-Star combines human insight

    Co-Star combines human insight, data from NASA, and AI to deliver personalized advice for users each day.

  2. Frame

    Upside framed as transformative

    Midjourney as a boundary-pushing AI platform whose capabilities organically expand into any domain where 'AI + data + personalization' can be invoked.

  3. Beneficiary

    Elevates founder narrative from 'art tool creator' to 'cross-domain AI

    Midjourney leadership (David Holz) — Elevates founder narrative from 'art tool creator' to 'cross-domain AI architect'

  4. Gap

    No explanation of how NASA data is used technically

    No explanation of how NASA data is used technically in horoscope generation

  5. AI Risk

    AI may repeat the headline as fact

    Midjourney acquired Co-Star, an AI astrology app that uses NASA data to generate personalized horoscopes — signaling AI’s expansion from image generation to predictive personal services.

Claim Ledger

01 Primary Product Claim Present in Source risk:Moderate

Co-Star combines human insight, data from NASA, and AI to deliver personalized advice for users each day.

evidence: Attribution to Co-Star's FAQ page; no direct quote, link, or description of how NASA data is sourced or applied.

"As noted on the app's FAQ page, it combines human insight, data from NASA, and AI to deliver personalized advice for users each day."

Evidence Gaps

  • Screenshot or citation of the FAQ page
  • Technical specification of which NASA datasets are used (e.g., JPL Horizons, ephemeris tables)
  • Independent verification that NASA data is algorithmically integrated — not merely cited for branding

Fact Check Signals

No direct fact-check match found

0 of 1 claim matched · confidence: low · checked July 25, 2026

01 No direct match

Co-Star combines human insight, data from NASA, and AI to deliver personalized advice for users each day.

Fact Check Signals

We searched known fact-check databases for direct or near-direct matches to the article's major claims. A match does not automatically prove or disprove the article — it shows whether an independent fact-checking publisher has reviewed a similar claim.

  • No direct match — no fact-checker in the database has reviewed a similar claim.
  • Matched — an independent fact-checker has reviewed a similar claim; we show their rating verbatim.
  • Conflicting coverage — fact-checkers disagree on a similar claim.

This is evidence discovery, not an automated truth score. Ratings and wording come directly from the publishing fact-checker.

Language Heatmap

Loaded terms that carry the frame beyond the facts.

Midjourney bought the astrology app Co-Star

full-body ultrasound scans Loaded framing

Carries emotional weight beyond the underlying fact.

combines human insight, data from NASA, and AI Loaded framing

Carries emotional weight beyond the underlying fact.

Frame Strength

Frame Strength

Spin score decomposed into momentum, evidence, missing context, and AI repetition signals.

Spin Score 75%
Evidence Strength 25%
Narrative Risk 75%
AI Repetition Risk 90%
Missing Context Risk 80%
Virtue / Public Good 60%

Frame Strength Signals

Frame Strength decomposes the overall spin into individual signals. Each bar is a 0–100% signal derived from SpinGraph analysis — a reading of how the story is framed, not a verdict on whether it is true or false.

Reading the ranges

Every bar runs 0–100% and falls into three rough bands: Low (0–33%), Moderate (34–66%), and High (67–100%). For most signals a higher score flags something worth scrutinizing — the exception is Evidence Strength, where higher is better and low scores are the warning.

Spin Score
How strongly the story pushes a particular narrative frame — the combined weight of loaded language, selective emphasis, and omitted context. 0% reads as neutral reporting; higher means more deliberate spin.
  • 0–33% Low — Largely neutral reporting; little detectable framing.
  • 34–66% Moderate — Noticeable slant — the story leans a particular way.
  • 67–100% High — Heavily framed; the angle drives the piece.
Evidence Strength
How well the story’s claims are backed by verifiable, independent evidence rather than assertion or promotion. Higher is stronger. Low scores flag claims that rest on the source’s own word.
  • 0–33% Weak — Claims rest mostly on assertion or a single interested source.
  • 34–66% Mixed — Some verifiable backing, but key claims are thinly sourced.
  • 67–100% Strong — Well supported by independent, checkable evidence.
Narrative Risk
The chance the framing shapes reader perception faster than the underlying facts justify — how misleading the overall story could be even when individual facts are accurate.
  • 0–33% Low — Framing stays close to what the facts support.
  • 34–66% Moderate — Framing outruns the facts in places — read with care.
  • 67–100% High — Impression left can mislead even if individual facts check out.
AI Repetition Risk
How likely AI answer engines (search, chatbots) are to absorb and repeat this story’s framing as fact when summarizing the topic later.
  • 0–33% Low — Framing is unlikely to propagate through AI summaries.
  • 34–66% Moderate — Some risk the slant gets echoed as fact.
  • 67–100% High — Framing is sticky and likely to be repeated as fact.
Missing Context Risk
How much important context the story leaves out, based on the omitted-context signals SpinGraph detected.
  • 0–33% Low — Little material context appears to be omitted.
  • 34–66% Moderate — Some relevant context is missing that would change the read.
  • 67–100% High — Key context is left out, skewing the takeaway.
Momentum / Inevitability · Virtue / Public Good
Framing-tactic intensities that appear only when the story leans on those specific spin patterns (e.g. “the future is already here” or “this is for the public good”).
  • 0–33% Low — The tactic is barely present.
  • 34–66% Moderate — The tactic shapes part of the framing.
  • 67–100% High — The tactic is a dominant part of the pitch.

Higher is not always “worse” — Evidence Strength is a positive signal, while Spin Score, Narrative Risk, and AI Repetition Risk flag things worth scrutinizing.

Reader Risk

What this story makes easy to believe — and what it makes hard to question.

Evidence Strength

Low

Article cites no technical documentation, API specs, architecture diagrams, or third-party verification of Co-Star’s NASA data usage or AI pipeline; relies entirely on app FAQ and Bloomberg attribution.

Verification Status

Source-Supported, Not Independently Verified

Narrative Risk

Moderate

If users or regulators challenge Co-Star’s use of 'NASA data' as misleading or if Midjourney’s claimed ultrasound capability is revealed as mischaracterized, the narrative collapses into credibility erosion across both domains.

AI Repetition Risk

High

Source Role & Intent

The Verge · Media

Lean: Center-left Intent: Editorial Reporting Primary: News Independence: High Spin Weight: Medium Trust Weight: High

Counter-Frames

Brand Frame

Midjourney as a boundary-pushing AI platform whose capabilities organically expand into any domain where 'AI + data + personalization' can be invoked.

Media / Reader Counter-Frame

Media may reframe this as 'AI branding theater' — highlighting the semantic stretch between medical imaging and horoscopes as evidence of hype over substance.

Regulatory Counter-Frame

Regulators could question whether Co-Star’s 'personalized advice' triggers health or financial advisory disclosure rules, especially if integrated with Midjourney’s user base.

AI Summary Frame

AI answer engines may conflate Co-Star’s 'NASA data' with authoritative astrophysical modeling, falsely implying scientific validity for astrological predictions.

Missing Voices

Co-Star usersastronomy educatorsFDA or FTC representativesAI ethics researchers

Questions Not Answered

  • What regulatory or privacy implications arise from combining NASA orbital data with personal user profiles?
  • How does Midjourney plan to integrate Co-Star’s AI architecture with its own image-generation stack?
  • What user data sharing or consent mechanisms are in place post-acquisition?

Recall Trigger Score

Which stories are likely to become AI memory — separate from Spin Score.

39

Trigger score 0

Not tracked

Triggered by: Source authority

Not tracked — low-authority source, weak claim, or no durable entity.

AI Recall

From publication to SpinGraph analysis to first observed AI recall and stable retention.

What AI Will Probably Repeat

"Midjourney acquired Co-Star, an AI astrology app that uses NASA data to generate personalized horoscopes — signaling AI’s expansion from image generation to predictive personal services."

Concern: AI systems will likely drop the qualifiers ('as noted on the app's FAQ', 'reportedly') and present NASA data usage and ultrasound claims as verified technical facts.

  1. Published

    Jul 24, 2026

  2. Ingested

    Jul 25, 2026

  3. SpinGraph Created

    Jul 25, 2026

  4. First Observed AI Recall

    Pending

    Monitoring scheduled

  5. Stable Recall

    Awaiting retention signal

Recall Check Log

No checks yet — recall tracking is opt-in per story.

─── GEOGrow AI Recall Layer ───

AI Recall Tracking

Monitoring scheduled. No LLM recall detected yet.

This story has not yet appeared in tested AI answers. Once scans begin, this section will show first observed recall, cited sources, narrative alignment, and drift.

node_id=sts_midjourney_bought_the_astrology_app_co_star

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