OpenAI CEO Sam Altman released a series of statements on the platform X on Monday, indicating that the unexpected surge in popularity of the company’s recently launched image-generation feature within ChatGPT will lead to delays in upcoming products.
“We’re working hard to address the situation, but users should anticipate delays in upcoming OpenAI launches, occasional technical disruptions, and intermittent slowdowns as we tackle these capacity issues,” Altman explained. “Our team is actively striving to stabilize things and improve performance as swiftly as possible.”
The introduction of OpenAI’s new image-generation capability generated significant excitement as well as debate due to its remarkable ability to emulate artistic styles, including those resembling the distinctive hand-drawn animations of Studio Ghibli. During the previous weekend, Altman mentioned on X that the company was experiencing ongoing challenges managing demand since the feature’s release. He further noted that employees had been working extended hours, including through the weekend, to ensure the stability and availability of the services.
According to Altman, on Monday alone, ChatGPT attracted one million new users within just one hour. Currently, the platform boasts 500 million users per week and 20 million subscribers who choose its premium paid options, marking a substantial increase from the previously reported 300 million weekly users and 15.5 million paid subscribers at the close of 2024.
To alleviate the strain on its infrastructure, OpenAI decided to postpone making the image-generation feature accessible to free users. Additionally, the company has temporarily suspended video generation capabilities for new users under its generative AI multimedia toolkit, known as Sora.