A few week in the past, OpenAI introduced its latest picture generator, constructing the GPT-4o picture generator instrument instantly into ChatGPT and Sora. The service went viral instantly, with ChatGPT customers producing tons of pictures within the following days.
An unlucky Studio Ghibli-style development adopted, with ChatGPT customers utilizing the fashion for all types of pictures. The AI additionally helped them produce deepfakes that includes celebrities. All of the whereas, OpenAI touted the companies’ freedom and laxer security guidelines whereas repeatedly mentioning the elevated stress the OpenAI servers are beneath now that ChatGPT is being assaulted for picture technology functions.
These remarks about GPUs melting had a double that means. It advised that some efficiency points throughout different AI options must endure, together with the bottom ChatGPT chatbot functionalities. In the meantime, customers skilled ChatGPT points, yours actually included.
ChatGPT was slower to reply at occasions and even didn’t generate replies up to now few days. ChatGPT additionally went down following the intensive pressure on the servers from customers who may need signed up simply to make Studio Ghibli pictures. And sure, ChatGPT Free customers are in a position to make use of the 4o picture generator, although limits are in place.
On Tuesday, Sam Altman took to X to deal with issues about ChatGPT’s efficiency. He additionally mentioned it can take some time for OpenAI to catch as much as demand.
“We’re getting issues beneath management, however it is best to count on new releases from openai to be delayed, stuff to interrupt, and for service to typically be sluggish as we cope with capability challenges,” Sam Altman wrote on X. “Working as quick we will to essentially get stuff buzzing; if anybody has GPU capability in 100k chunks we will get asap please name!”
The messages had been despatched on Tuesday as ChatGPT went down for a lot of customers within the US and UK. ChatGPT was down round 9 AM EST, across the similar time related points occurred on Monday. ChatGPT went down on Wednesday at round 11 AM EST.
Apparently, Altman introduced that ChatGPT Free customers will get entry to the brand new picture generator on Monday night.
As a paying ChatGPT Plus person, this isn’t what I signed up for. I count on points to occur sometimes, and I’ve witnessed downtime points with ChatGPT up to now. But it surely wasn’t as a result of a bunch of individuals can’t cease producing pictures for no actual motive.
Throughout one occasion when ChatGPT went down for me, I discovered OpenAI’s standing web page and subscribed to it to obtain notifications about points which may impression the ChatGPT expertise.

I checked out the service on Wednesday and located that ChatGPT has encountered points constantly for the reason that 4o picture technology service was launched. It’s not a coincidence. Take a look at the picture above, the place every bar represents a day. There’s hardly been a inexperienced bar within the ChatGPT efficiency tracker since 4o picture technology got here out.
Sam Altman did tease not too long ago that ChatGPT signed up a million customers in a single hour. I mentioned on the time that we will’t essentially confirm these figures. However Reuters says that information from market analysis agency Similarweb proves ChatGPT has gone viral.
The service surpassed 150 million energetic weekly customers, a brand new report for ChatGPT. The service had about 145 million energetic weekly customers earlier than the 4o picture technology product dropped.
ChatGPT went viral simply when OpenAI wanted it to. The corporate simply performed one other spherical of funding, elevating some $40 billion in new capital at a valuation of $300 billion. Of that new cash, $10 billion is obtainable immediately. Additionally, $10 billion of the remaining stability is contingent on OpenAI turning into a for-profit firm by the yr’s finish.
Whereas the additional money ought to assist OpenAI enhance its infrastructure to deal with the extra stress, it received’t occur in a single day. Sadly, which means we’d proceed to see ChatGPT efficiency points for at the least so long as Studio Ghibli pictures stay common with customers.
There’s no signal of that taking place anytime quickly. Quickly after posing the reassurance above that OpenAI is dealing with the efficiency points and ChatGPT downtimes, Altman took to X to submit one other Ghibli-styled AI picture, however not earlier than teasing that “y’all are usually not prepared for pictures v2…” Sure, we aren’t prepared, and possibly OpenAI ought to chorus from launching something image- and video-related till its servers meet up with demand.