Ghibli Art Frenzy Overwhelms OpenAI: Sam Altman Begs for a Break
OpenAI’s latest ChatGPT update, featuring a built-in image-generation tool with the GPT-4o model, has sparked a massive wave of Studio Ghibli-style artwork online. Launched earlier this week for subscribers and later expanded to free users, the feature has flooded social media with imaginative creations, from celebrity portraits to everyday scenes in the iconic Japanese animation style. The surge, dubbed “biblical” by CEO Sam Altman in an X post, has pushed OpenAI’s resources to the limit, prompting him to plead, “Can y’all please chill on generating images? Our team needs sleep.”
The tool’s ability to craft detailed, Ghibli-inspired visuals directly from text prompts without relying on external models like DALL-E 3 has driven its viral success. However, the overwhelming demand has strained OpenAI’s systems, with Altman reporting that GPUs were “melting” under the pressure, leading to temporary rate limits. The trend, fueled by the distinctive charm of Studio Ghibli classics like Spirited Away, has left the company’s staff working around the clock to maintain service stability.
Despite the chaos, Altman remains committed to the feature’s potential, promising on X to enhance rather than restrict it. Still, he’s urged users to ease up to give his exhausted team a break. As the Ghibli art craze continues to captivate a global audience, OpenAI grapples with balancing innovation and operational demands in the face of unprecedented enthusiasm for AI-generated creativity.
