Ghibli-Style AI Art Goes Viral; Free Users Locked Out of OpenAI's New Tool

OpenAI has unveiled its newest and most advanced visual tool, powered by GPT-4o, which has rapidly gained popularity on the internet. Among its standout features is the much-discussed "Ghibli-style" output, inspired by the beloved animations of Studio Ghibli. Initially, OpenAI indicated that this tool would be accessible to both paid and free ChatGPT users, but it has since postponed the availability for free users due to unexpectedly high demand.

The Ghibli-Style Feature Captivates the Internet!

The "Ghibli-style" capability has captured the imagination of users around the world, leading to an explosion of fan-made visuals on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Reddit. These platforms are buzzing with AI-generated images using hashtags such as #GhibliStyle and #AIGhibli. Users have created everything from animated renditions of historical figures to imaginative takes on popular internet memes, leading to a vibrant surge of creativity.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's Response

OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, acknowledged the overwhelming popularity of the Ghibli-style feature in a recent post on X. He noted, "Images in ChatGPT are wayyyy more popular than we expected (and we had pretty high expectations). Rollout to our free tier is unfortunately going to be delayed for a while." Currently, only subscribing users—those on ChatGPT Plus at $20 and Pro users at $200 per month—can access this powerful image generation tool.

This restriction has resulted in significant disappointment among free users, many of whom were eager to explore the Ghibli-style creations and other realistic visual formats available in this advanced model.

Altman has previously described the new visual model as "an incredible technology/product," sharing his astonishment upon witnessing the initial images produced by the AI. He reminisced about how hard it was to believe that these visuals were generated by artificial intelligence.

Access to the Older DALL·E Model

While the rollout of the new feature is delayed, unpaid users can still utilize image generation within ChatGPT, but they are limited to the older DALL·E model. Although DALL·E can create interesting visuals, its output lacks the detail, realism, and stylistic quality that GPT-4o offers, especially in terms of anime-style illustrations.

As of now, OpenAI has not provided a timeline for when the free-tier users can expect access to the upgraded image generation tool. This decision aligns with a broader industry trend where companies restrict their most advanced features to paying customers, raising concerns about accessibility and inclusivity in the field of artificial intelligence.

For the time being, the online community continues to celebrate the Ghibli-style trend, while only paying users have the means to create these captivating artworks.

Ghibli, AI, Art