OpenAI’s new image creation option on ChatGPT attracted many users in a short time. ChatGPT achieved its one million user milestone from its first hour of activity equaling its five-day growth rate before studio-quality picture output was added.
CEO Sam Altman revealed on X (formerly Twitter) that ChatGPT gained its millionth user within five days following its launch 26 months earlier and achieved the same growth rate in just one hour.
the chatgpt launch 26 months ago was one of the craziest viral moments i'd ever seen, and we added one million users in five days.
— Sam Altman (@sama) March 31, 2025
we added one million users in the last hour.
Since its late-2022 launch, ChatGPT has kept advancing AI technology and its most recent update attracted millions of users around the world.
chatgpt image gen now rolled out to all free users!
— Sam Altman (@sama) April 1, 2025
After the update, AI created many images modeled after Studio Ghibli’s unique animation style and artists posted these artworks all over social media. People massively engaged with AI through their online posts about what AI could create.
Key Highlights of the Trend
- OpenAI released image generation to people who use its basic plan.
- Users created artwork in a Studio Ghibli style after this feature became available.
- Within an hour, ChatGPT gained its first one million active users.
