OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, have implemented rate limits following a social media phenomenon that saw the term "Ghiblify" take off—essentially transforming various images into art reminiscent of the iconic Japanese animation studio’s style.
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, was among the initial participants in this trend, sharing a generated portrait of himself on March 25. However, two days later, he mentioned that the surge in image requests was beginning to strain the company’s infrastructure.
"It’s incredibly exciting to see users enjoy the images generated by ChatGPT, but our GPUs are overheating. We’ll need to introduce some temporary rate limits while we work on improving efficiency," he noted.
He further mentioned, "We’re also encountering some requests being denied that should have been processed; we’re addressing these issues as quickly as we can."
The upgraded image generation feature was launched on March 25, leading to users flooding social media with images styled after Studio Ghibli, known for beloved anime films such as Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro.
While Altman did not provide a specific timeline for how long these rate limits would remain in effect, he optimistically stated, "Hopefully, it won’t take long! Soon, the free tier of ChatGPT will allow three generations per day."
Rate limits are typically enforced to help manage the overall load on the infrastructure. According to OpenAI, a significant increase in API requests could overwhelm the servers and create performance issues. By establishing these limits, the company aims to ensure a smooth and consistent experience for all users.
Additionally, alongside many others embracing the trend, X and Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared an image of a character inspired by King Mufasa from Disney’s The Lion King, holding a Shiba Inu. David Sacks, the White House’s AI and crypto advisor, also got involved, posting an image of himself in the Studio Ghibli art style from an event.
In other news, it was reported that OpenAI anticipates tripling its revenue this year to $12.7 billion, according to a source familiar with the matter. On February 12, Altman mentioned that the company aims to launch GPT-4.5 and GPT-5 in the near future.