OpenAI Decides to Hold 4o Image Generation Launch for Free Users

OpenAI has been forced to delay the release of ChatGPT’s built-in image generator for free users. Sam Altman acknowledged in a post that the new 4o Image Generation tool has been more popular than expected, so the rollout for free use will be delayed for a while, The Verge reports.

Image source: OpenAI

A new AI image generator was just integrated into ChatGPT, allowing users to create images directly in the app using the latest GPT-4o reasoning model. The feature has been so popular with users that they have already started sharing images on social media, including those stylized as Studio Ghibli works, a trend that even Altman himself has joined.

According to the developers, 4o Image Generation features improved text rendering and uses the so-called autoregressive approach to generate images, where the image is created sequentially, from left to right and top to bottom, rather than all at once, which allows creating images without any errors or distortions in the text, something that has not been possible to achieve in other generators before.

Currently, only subscribers to ChatGPT’s paid Plus, Pro, and Team plans have access to the feature. It’s not yet clear when free users will be able to try out the new AI generator due to unexpectedly high demand for the feature.