OpenAI, an American Artificial Intelligence research organization, has expanded access to its advanced image generation tool, powered by the GPT-4o model, to all ChatGPT users, including those on the free tier.
Announcing this update, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman disclosed that it was pertinent for the feature to be available to all users.
He wrote,
Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 17 (June 9 – Sept 6, 2025) today for early bird discounts. Do annual for access to Blucera.com.
Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and co-invest in great global startups.
Register to become a better CEO or Director with Tekedia CEO & Director Program.
“We will not do anything silly like saying that you can’t use our open model if your service has more than 700 million monthly active users. We want everyone to use it!”
Previously available to only paying subscribers, this feature which was launched on March 25, 2025, enables users to create detailed and photorealistic images directly with the ChatGPT interface.
Announcing the launch of the feature, OpenAI disclosed that the company has long believed that image generation should be a primary capability of its language models.
GPT-4o image generation excels at accurately rendering text, precisely following prompts, and leveraging 4o’s inherent knowledge base and chat context-including transforming uploaded images or using them as visual inspiration. These capabilities make it easier for users to create exactly the image they envision, helping them communicate more effectively through visuals and advancing image generation into a practical tool with precision and power.
GPT-4o’s image generation follows detailed prompts with attention to detail. While other systems struggle with 5 to 8 objects, GPT-4o can handle up to 10-20 different objects. It can also analyze and learn from user-uploaded images, seamlessly integrating their details into their context to inform image generation.
The introduction of the OpenAI image generation feature has led to a surge in user engagement, with many utilizing the tool to create images in distinctive style. Following the massive use of the feature Altman reacted on X, saying, “Can you all please chill on generating images this is insane our team needs sleep. We just haven’t been able to catch up since launch, so people are still working to keep the service up. Biblical demand, I have never seen anything like it”.
In response to the high usage of the image generation feature, OpenAI has implemented usage limits to manage server load and maintain performance. Free-tier users may experience restrictions, such as a cap on the number of images generated per day.
OpenAI Plans The Release of a New AI-Language Model in The Coming Months
In addition to expanding access to its image generation tool, OpenAI plans to release an open-weight AI model with advanced reasoning capabilities, marking its first such release since 2019.
Announcing this, Altman wrote on X,
“We are planning to release our first open-weigh language model since GPT-2. We’ve been thinking about this for a long time but other priorities took precedence. Now it feels important to do. Before release, we will evaluate this model according to our preparedness framework, like we would for any other model. and we will do extra work given that we know this model will be modified post-release.
“We still have some decisions to make, so we are hosting developer events to gather feedback and later play with early prototypes. We’ll start in SF in a couple of weeks followed by sessions in Europe and APAC. If you are interested in joining, please sign up at the link above. We are excited to see what developers build and how large companies and governments use it where they prefer to run a model themselves.”
This move by OpenAI aims to balance the benefits of open-source collaboration with the need to protect proprietary methodologies, allowing developers to build and customize the model with certain constraints
These developments come as OpenAI recently raised record funding of $40bn led by SoftBank Group. All these underscore OpenAI’s ongoing efforts to democratize access to advanced AI technologies while navigating the challenges associated with rapid innovation and widespread adoption.