OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has announced that ChatGPT’s image generation feature is now accessible to all free users. This decision follows a surge in interest and excitement surrounding the tool, especially in creating AI images inspired by Studio Ghibli artwork, across social media platforms.
Previously, the AI image generation feature was exclusive to paid subscribers under the ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team plans. Free users were limited to generating up to three images daily. Due to the overwhelming popularity among premium users, OpenAI has expanded access to all free-tier accounts.
In a tweet, Sam Altman shared, “ChatGPT image gen now rolled out to all free users.”
chatgpt image gen now rolled out to all free users!
— Sam Altman (@sama) April 1, 2025
Prior to this announcement, Altman expressed his desire for widespread adoption, stating, “We want everyone to use it.” He emphasized inclusivity, affirming that usage limitations based on active user counts would not be imposed.
we will not do anything silly like saying that you cant use our open model if your service has more than 700 million monthly active users.
we want everyone to use it!
— Sam Altman (@sama) March 31, 2025
The rollout commenced on March 26, and as of April 1, all ChatGPT users now have access to the image generation tool, powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4o model.
Altman noted a significant uptick in new account registrations following the availability of image generation for free-tier users. He remarked on the exponential growth in user numbers since ChatGPT’s launch, underscoring the platform’s rapid expansion.
the chatgpt launch 26 months ago was one of the craziest viral moments i’d ever seen, and we added one million users in five days.
we added one million users in the last hour.
— Sam Altman (@sama) March 31, 2025
To address the strain on OpenAI’s infrastructure caused by increased image generation requests, temporary rate limits were implemented. Altman urged users to moderate their usage to alleviate pressure on the company’s GPUs.
Mr Altman also provided a guide on using the image regeneration feature in ChatGPT:
- Start by generating an initial image with a text prompt.
- Adjust the prompt (e.g., “Change the sky color from blue to red”).
- Select the “regenerate” option to receive an updated image version.
- Review and refine the image by repeating the process until the desired outcome is achieved.
