OpenAI has unveiled a significant upgrade to ChatGPT’s image-generation capabilities, marking its first major enhancement in over a year. During a livestream on Tuesday, CEO Sam Altman announced that ChatGPT can now natively create and edit images using GPT-4o, the company’s latest AI model.
Previously limited to text-based outputs, GPT-4o now supports image creation and modification, significantly expanding ChatGPT’s functionality. The feature is available immediately for subscribers of OpenAI’s Pro plan ($200 per month) within ChatGPT and Sora, the company’s AI-powered video-generation tool. OpenAI plans to roll out the capability soon for Plus and free-tier users, as well as developers using its API.
GPT-4o takes a slightly longer processing time than its predecessor, DALL·E 3, but OpenAI claims it delivers higher accuracy and improved detail. The model can also edit existing images, including those with people, using “inpainting” to modify backgrounds, foregrounds, and other elements.
To develop its enhanced image-generation model, OpenAI trained GPT-4o on publicly available data and proprietary content sourced from partnerships with companies like Shutterstock. However, in response to copyright concerns, the company has emphasized its commitment to protecting artists’ rights.
Brad Lightcap, OpenAI’s COO, stated that OpenAI enforces strict policies to prevent AI-generated images from directly replicating the work of living artists. Additionally, the company provides an opt-out option for creators, allowing them to request that their content be excluded from OpenAI’s training datasets. Websites can also block OpenAI’s web crawlers from collecting images for AI training.
This update arrives just as Google experiments with native image generation in its Gemini 2.0 Flash model. However, Google’s rollout faced criticism due to inadequate safeguards, allowing users to remove watermarks and create images of copyrighted characters.
With this latest enhancement, OpenAI strengthens ChatGPT’s position in the generative AI market, offering users a more powerful and versatile tool for text, image, and video creation.
