OpenAI's Image Generator Is Now Free for Everyone

If you've been itching to play around with OpenAI's image generator but didn't want to pay up, today's your lucky day. OpenAI just made its AI-powered image tool available to everyone, CEO Sam Altman announced on X. Until now, only paying ChatGPT users had access to the feature, which is powered by OpenAI's latest model, GPT-4o.


There's a small catch, though. Free users might have some restrictions, as Altman previously hinted at a limit of three images per day. Still, that's three more than before, and judging by the tool's skyrocketing popularity, even a few images go a long way. Demand has been so intense that OpenAI's GPUs have been pushed to the brink—Altman even joked that they were "melting."

But with great power comes… some questionable choices. Since its release, users have been generating images inspired by Studio Ghibli's iconic animation style, sparking debates over copyright and the data OpenAI uses to train its models. Others have taken a more mischievous route, using the tool to create fake restaurant receipts. OpenAI, however, has safeguards in place—every AI-generated image carries metadata marking it as ChatGPT-created, and the company says it actively moderates content that violates its guidelines.

This isn't the only big news from OpenAI today. The company also just raised a jaw-dropping $40 billion in funding, led by SoftBank, bringing its valuation to a staggering $300 billion. Oh, and ChatGPT? It's now boasting 500 million weekly active users and 700 million monthly users. Not too shabby.

So, if you've got some creative AI image ideas, now's the time to test them out—just maybe don't try to pass off a fake dinner bill while you're at it.

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