Hajra Naz
During a livestream on Tuesday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman introduced a significant upgrade to ChatGPT’s image-generation feature—the first in over a year. The AI chatbot can now natively create and modify images using OpenAI’s GPT-4o model, which previously focused only on text generation.
Enhanced Image Creation with GPT-4o
GPT-4o, which powers ChatGPT, now supports image generation and editing, making it a versatile tool for users. Unlike previous versions that relied on DALL-E 3 for image generation, this update allows GPT-4o to produce more detailed and accurate visuals while offering advanced editing capabilities. It can transform existing images, modify backgrounds and foregrounds, and even make changes to images featuring people.
Availability and Rollout
Altman confirmed that the new image-generation feature is now live for subscribers of OpenAI’s $200-per-month Pro plan. It will soon be available to Plus and free-tier ChatGPT users, as well as developers accessing OpenAI’s API.
Data Sources and Ethical Considerations
To develop this feature, OpenAI trained GPT-4o using publicly available data and proprietary datasets from partnerships, including those with Shutterstock. However, the use of training data remains a sensitive topic in the AI industry, with companies keeping details private due to intellectual property concerns and potential legal risks.
Brad Lightcap, OpenAI’s Chief Operating Officer, assured that OpenAI respects artists’ rights and has safeguards in place to prevent generating images that directly imitate living artists’ work. The company also provides an opt-out form for creators who want their works removed from OpenAI’s training datasets. Additionally, OpenAI honors requests from website owners who block its web-scraping bots from collecting image data.
Competition and Industry Trends
This upgrade comes shortly after Google’s release of native image generation for its Gemini 2.0 Flash model, which made headlines for its lack of guardrails. Users discovered that Gemini’s image tool allowed the removal of watermarks and the creation of images featuring copyrighted characters, sparking controversy.
With OpenAI’s latest advancements, ChatGPT’s image-generation capabilities are now more refined, offering users greater control and accuracy while prioritizing ethical considerations in AI-generated content.
