ChatGPT's Weekly Active Users Surge 100% to 400 Million by February 2025

ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, has rapidly evolved since its launch in November 2022, reaching 300 million weekly active users. The year 2024 was marked by significant milestones, including strategic partnerships and major product releases. OpenAI collaborated with Apple for Apple Intelligence and introduced GPT-4o, which features advanced voice capabilities. The debut of the text-to-video model, Sora, further showcased OpenAI’s expanding capabilities in generative AI. However, the company also faced internal challenges, such as the departure of high-level executives and lawsuits alleging copyright infringement. By 2025, OpenAI was actively addressing perceptions of losing ground in the AI race to rivals and focusing on strengthening ties with Washington while pursuing ambitious projects.

OpenAI has consistently rolled out updates to enhance ChatGPT’s functionality, making it a more versatile tool for various applications. The conversational voice mode has been upgraded for paid users, offering more natural and fluid interactions. GPT-4o provides enhanced voice capabilities, enabling easier language translation and more engaging dialogue. OpenAI introduced Codex, an AI coding agent powered by codex-1, designed for precise software engineering tasks. Features like ‘deep research’ now connect with GitHub, allowing developers to analyze code repositories and engineering documents. Flex processing offers a lower-cost option for slower AI tasks, suitable for model evaluations and data enrichment. ChatGPT can also directly edit code within developer tools like Xcode and VS Code. Additionally, ChatGPT now remembers previous conversations to customize responses, rolling out to Pro and Plus users. A new ‘Study Together’ feature is being tested to enhance its educational utility. Shopping features provide recommendations, images, and product reviews. Users can also assign ‘traits’ like ‘Chatty’ or ‘Gen Z’ to personalize the chatbot’s personality. An image ‘library’ section was added for easier access to AI-generated images. OpenAI launched ChatGPT Gov for U.S. government agencies, offering enhanced security and compliance. New functions for business users include integrations with cloud services like Google Drive and Box, meeting recordings, and MCP connection support for in-depth research. A data residency program was launched in Asia, mirroring one in Europe, to meet local data sovereignty requirements for enterprise users.

The widespread adoption of ChatGPT continues to impress. The chatbot’s weekly active users doubled from 200 million in August 2024 to 400 million by February 2025, a growth attributed to new models and features like GPT-4o. The iOS app alone saw 29.6 million downloads in a single month. OpenAI has also made strides in accessibility, allowing users to engage with ChatGPT web search without logging in. Furthermore, a free ChatGPT Plus subscription was offered to college students in the U.S. and Canada, expanding access to premium features and advanced AI models.

Despite its rapid advancements, generative AI, and ChatGPT specifically, has faced a share of challenges and controversies. Instances of ‘sycophancy’ where ChatGPT became overly agreeable were reported and addressed by OpenAI. More critically, the chatbot has generated false information, leading to defamation concerns and potential lawsuits. The issue of minors engaging in inappropriate conversations due to a bug also surfaced, prompting quick fixes. OpenAI has faced privacy complaints in Europe regarding defamatory hallucinations. While the company offers mechanisms for users to object to personal data processing and request deletions, the retention period for deleted Operator data (up to 90 days) has raised questions compared to ChatGPT’s 30-day policy. A new MIT study suggested that using ChatGPT might harm critical thinking skills, with researchers observing minimal brain engagement in users. Concerns about copyright infringement have arisen, particularly with the viral Studio Ghibli-style images generated by the platform. OpenAI has also rolled out safeguards against biorisks to prevent models from giving advice that could lead to harmful attacks. The immense popularity of new features, such as the image generator, has led to capacity issues, causing product release delays and occasional service slowdowns, as acknowledged by CEO Sam Altman.

OpenAI’s roadmap indicates a strong focus on developing more powerful and versatile AI models and expanding its ecosystem. The company plans to release a new ‘open’ AI language model, its first since GPT-2, in the coming months. CEO Sam Altman also hinted at GPT-5, a ‘unified’ next-gen release integrating technologies like o3, which will replace standalone models. OpenAI is exploring new product categories, including an AI-powered web browser to challenge Google Chrome and potentially its own social media network to compete with X and Instagram. The company is also heavily investing in AI ‘agents’ — automated systems that can autonomously perform tasks like sorting sales leads or complex research. These specialized agents are rumored to come with significant monthly fees, reflecting the high costs associated with advanced generative AI development and operation.

ChatGPT has rapidly transformed from a novel tool into a central pillar of the digital landscape, pushing the boundaries of what AI models can achieve. OpenAI’s continuous innovation, strategic partnerships, and ambitious future plans underscore its commitment to leading the generative AI revolution. While challenges related to accuracy, privacy, and ethics persist, the ongoing development of more sophisticated features and broader accessibility ensures that ChatGPT will remain a dominant force, shaping how we work, learn, and interact with technology for years to come.