- OpenAI temporarily capped image creation after a massive influx of requests overtaxed its system.
- Free users are now limited to three images daily, impacting users who had counted on the tool for professional use.
- The Ghibli-look trend, boosted by social media and celebrity engagement, contributed heavily to the overnight boom in demand.
OpenAI chose to limit image creation temporarily after an unprecedented flood of requests began overloading its system.
The unexpected rise occurred after CEO Sam Altman shared a Ghibli-illustrated portrait of himself on March 25. That triggered a trend as users began creating and distributing similar images, overwhelming the company’s servers.
On March 27, Altman stated that OpenAI was forced to impose temporary limits. He said that the GPUs of the company were “melting” because of the high workload. The team is currently attempting to optimize the system so that it can accommodate growing demand.
OpenAI Free Users Face New Image Limits
Due to this, free plan users are now restricted to only three images a day. This is a significant shift as individuals were earlier able to create multiple images without restriction. Some users have even complained that they can’t create any images at all, even if they had been using it previously.
The primary cause of this surge was the viral popularity of Ghibli-themed artwork. Social media was full of such posts, and people even included their celebrities.
Elon Musk posted a photo of Mufasa from The Lion King with a Shiba Inu in his paws, and David Sacks, another White House adviser in AI and crypto, also posted his own Ghibli-drawn self-portrait.
Uncertainty for Businesses and Paid Users
Companies and artists who base their livelihoods on image creation can now be forced to change their workflow or seek alternative ways of working.
OpenAI hasn’t indicated yet if paid subscribers will also be subject to these limitations.
Meanwhile, the company is expanding rapidly. A recent report suggested that OpenAI’s revenue could triple this year, reaching $12.7 billion. They are also working on new models, with GPT-4.5 and GPT-5 already in development.
While the limits are frustrating for many, OpenAI has promised to bring back full functionality as soon as possible.
