OpenAI Expands Image Generation to Free Users, Drives One Million New Sign-Ups in One Hour

OpenAI has made its advanced image generation feature, powered by the GPT-4o model, available to all free-tier users of ChatGPT. Initially, this feature was exclusively for paid subscribers, allowing them to create custom visuals from text prompts. The rollout, which was delayed by five days, has now been completed, enabling free users to access this capability with certain limitations. Free users are subject to a rate limit of three image generations per day and a cooldown period between consecutive image generations. Each generated image includes metadata with Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) information to help mitigate instances of deepfakes.

The popularity of this feature has been driven by a viral internet trend where users transform their images into the art style of Studio Ghibli, a renowned Japanese animation studio. This trend has flooded social media platforms with user-generated content, leading to temporary rate limits for paid ChatGPT tiers due to the high demand. The feature's success is evident in the platform's user growth, with one million new users registering on ChatGPT in just one hour on Monday, surpassing the previous record of adding one million users in five days when it first launched.

The new image generation feature in ChatGPT comes with enhanced text rendering and a prompt-based inline editing feature. Users can upload their images and request AI to transform them into various styles or make edits. OpenAI has implemented measures to block requests for images that include harmful content, such as child sexual abuse material, sexual deepfakes, or violence. This expansion of the image generation feature to free users is a significant update, making advanced AI capabilities more accessible to a broader audience.