‘GPUs are melting’: OpenAI limits ChatGPT’s image generation feature after viral Ghibli image trend

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addressed on Thursday the impact the viral Ghibli-style image trend has had on his company’s resources. Altman stated in a post on X that OpenAI’s “GPUs are overheating” and that the firm is implementing temporary speed restrictions on the native image creation feature.

“it’s super fun seeing people love images in chatgpt. but our GPUs are melting. we are going to temporarily introduce some rate limits while we work on making it more efficient. hopefully won’t be long! ChatGPT free tier will get 3 generations per day soon.” Altman wrote in his post

“Also, we are refusing some generations that should be allowed; we are fixing these as fast we can.” the OpenAI CEO added.

Remarkably, OpenAI recently launched its built-in image generation feature that enables users to utilize ChatGPT’s image creation abilities to produce more detailed images and also modify their existing pictures.

Since that time, social media users have been transforming their pictures in the style of Studio Ghibli animation, converting their cherished memories into the beloved Japanese anime. The trend has become quite popular on social media, which prompted Altman to change his profile picture on X to a Ghibli-style portrait. Studio Ghibli, established in 1985, is a Japanese animation film studio created by Miyazaki Hayao, Takahata Isao, and Suzuki Toshio. The firm is recognized for its top-notch filmmaking featuring hand-drawn animation and vibrant storytelling.

A few of the company’s most acclaimed animated movies are Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Princess Mononoke. The studio’s films are renowned for their surreal settings, gentle colour schemes, and profoundly human narratives. The meticulous, handcrafted method of Ghibli animators has been regarded as the benchmark in classic animation for a long time.