Now, Chatgpt 4O Image Generator is available for free for everyone. Openai CEO Sam Altman said in a March 31 X post that the AI Image Generation tool “is rolled out to all freelance users now!”
Since people have been using it to generate images in the style of Ghibli Giblingi animations, the image generator has caused a lot of buzz lately. In a March 27 post, the rush to use an image generation tool in Chatgpt prompted Altman to say its servers are “melting”.
Image generation was free at the time, but users would be limited to three images a day, Altman said. Subscribers who pay Chatgpt for $20 per month for $200 for $200 subscriptions have no such limit.
I tested the tool for creating lead images for this post. The Chatgpt application struggled a little while the connection was lost, but eventually produced an image of Chatgpt flying over New York in less than five minutes.
AI arms race heats up
Openai’s move further expands audiences with its image generator, marking the latest chapter in the growing competition among companies developing AI technologies. In addition to many startups in the U.S., China, and other countries, there are Apple, Anthropic, Microsoft and Google, which just introduced Gemini 2.5, the latest AI model a week ago. It is estimated that Chatgpt has about 500 million users per week, but other AI models are gradually evolving.
In addition to improving its ability to handle tasks and solve problems, AI models are increasingly required to create content like images and videos. Chatgpt also has the ability to create videos called Sora, but this still only works on paid accounts.
AI skeptics become users
Serena Huang, an AI consultant and author of Inclusive Equations, has a PhD in Economics, said she has also been flooded with Ghibli’s images on social media recently and has been thinking about the impact of widespread use of image generators like Openai.
“AI image generation is a powerful catalyst for increasing productivity and innovation,” she told CNET. “It can speed up the content creation process, which can quickly develop marketing materials and potentially promote more engaging communications. Overall, the interesting aspects of AI also contribute to adoption and can turn many AI skeptics into overnight.”
That said, Huang pointed out that people should pay attention to the copyright complexity of AI-generated content, the energy consumption required to perform AI tasks, and the impact of image generation on the creative industry, including losing jobs.
Huang said she hopes other companies that offer basic image creation, such as Microsoft Copilot, may improve their games. “I expect significant progress as user competition intensifies,” she said.
