OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said the company is temporarily limiting AI image generation after an overwhelming surge in requests pushed its systems to the brink.

The trend began after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shared a Ghibli-style portrait of himself on March 25. This caused a huge spike in image requests that wore out OpenAI’s GPU resources.

On March 27, Altman said OpenAI would impose temporary rate limits. “It is super fun to see people loving images in ChatGPT, but our GPUs [graphics processing units] are melting,” he said. The company is now trying to make its system more efficient at servicing demand.

OpenAI imposes daily image limits, reshaping user access

A surge in AI-generated image requests overwhelmed OpenAI’s systems, leading the company to impose temporary limits on the tool. The influx was driven by a viral trend in which users showcased Studio Ghibli-style artwork created with AI.

OpenAI has not indicated how long these limits will remain in effect. However, CEO Sam Altman said that free service users would be limited to three AI-generated images per day.

This restriction is a huge shift for most users. Since ChatGPT rolled out the ability to generate images, users have been able to render several images in one sitting without limits.

The new cap means free users must be more selective about when and how they make images.  Some users report that the restrictions have completely blocked them from creating images despite having access before.

While OpenAI’s model does not rely on high-performance GPUs, AI-generated images still consume substantial electricity and computing resources.

Demand surged, driven by a viral trend for Studio Ghibli-style graphics. OpenAI’s servers became bogged down, forcing the company to act quickly. Casual users who use ChatGPT’s free version for fun, social media, or creative projects will be most impacted.

OpenAI has not specified if premium subscribers—users paying for ChatGPT Plus, for example—will be subject to similar limits.

However, businesses, content creators, and professionals who rely on AI-generated images may have to change their workflows or look for alternatives as OpenAI tries to shore up its infrastructure.

Ghibli-style trend takes over as OpenAI grows and innovates

The Ghibli-style craze has spread all over the internet, and many celebrities have joined in. Elon Musk tweeted an AI-generated image of Mufasa from The Lion King holding a Shiba Inu. David Sacks, the White House’s AI and crypto adviser, also shared a Ghibli-style portrait of himself.

OpenAI, for its part, is growing quickly. Bloomberg reported on March 26 that the company may even triple its revenue this year to $12.7 billion. OpenAI has also been working on next-generation AI models, and Altman has already confirmed the development of GPT-4. 5 and GPT-5 are on the way.

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