OpenAI says new image generator now available to free ChatGPT users globally 

The company’s CEO, Sam Altman, announced in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

While the exact number of free-tier image generations remains unclear, Altman hinted last week at a possible cap of three images per day for non-paying users.

“ChatGPT mage gen now rolled out to all free users!” Altman announced on Tuesday.

Since its launch, OpenAI’s image generator has seen massive demand, with Altman joking that the surge in usage was causing the company’s GPUs to “melt.”

“These capabilities make it easier to create exactly the image you envision, helping you communicate more effectively through visuals and advancing image generation into a practical tool with precision and power,” the company stated.

However, the tool has also sparked copyright concerns, as critics question whether OpenAI’s training data included proprietary Ghibli-style artwork.

Meanwhile, OpenAI has closed the largest private tech funding round, securing $40 billion and valuing the ChatGPT maker at $300 billion among top private tech firms.

In a blog post, OpenAI stated that it intends to use the fresh capital to “push the frontiers of AI research even further” and expand its computing infrastructure.

SoftBank disclosed that its total investment could be reduced to as low as $20 billion if OpenAI does not restructure into a for-profit entity—allowing unlimited profits to be distributed to investors—by December 31, transitioning from its capped-profit structure (introduced in 2019), where investor profits were limited to a set amount, with any excess reinvested into research.