After success of Studio Ghibli photos, Sam Altman teases version 2

A viral trend took over social media as users worldwide shared images inspired by the hand-drawn style of the renowned Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli. The craze for generating Ghibli-style AI art using ChatGPT’s image-generation tool caused a record surge in OpenAI’s chatbot users last week, overwhelming its servers and temporarily restricting access to the feature.

Also Read : 7 free Ghibli-style AI image editors you can use online right now

ChatGPT’s Studio Ghibli Art Craze Hits the Internet—Version 2 Teased

This week saw everybody on the internet, from influencers to politicians, flock to ChatGPT to convert their photos into Studio Ghibli-style art. The frenzy to use the new image-generation tool led to a record surge in users for OpenAI’s chatbot. OpenAI CEO has now teased users with a version 2 of the feature, something that he feels people are not ready for.

Also Read : Yunus urged China to strengthen economic ties with Bangladesh, linking it to northeastern India

Studio Ghibli-Style AI Art Overloads OpenAI Servers, Hits 150M Users

Users worldwide have been using ChatGPT to generate art in the hand-drawn, whimsical style that has defined Studio Ghibli’s iconic films like ‘Spirited Away’ and ‘My Neighbor Totoro’. The demand proved so overwhelming that it strained OpenAI’s servers at one point, temporarily limiting the tool’s accessibility. The surge saw ChatGPT’s weekly active users surpass 150 million for the first time this year, according to data from market research firm Similarweb.

Also Read :Amid Deepseek pressure, why OpenAI is launching an ‘open weight’ AI model

Altman Reflects on ChatGPT’s Viral Growth as Ghibli-Style Art Takes Over

Altman celebrated the success, highlighting the platform’s rapid growth in a post on X: “We added one million users in the last hour,” he wrote, comparing it to the initial launch days of ChatGPT, which saw similar rapid user adoption. Founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki, Studio Ghibli is a highly regarded Japanese animation studio, known for its hand-drawn animation, intricate backgrounds, and emotionally resonant storytelling.