OpenAI’s ChatGPT experienced a record surge in user activity last week as its image-generation tool, which enables the creation of Ghibli-style AI art, went viral.
The overwhelming demand led to temporary limitations on the feature and intermittent service disruptions as the company struggled to manage traffic spikes.
Market research firm Similarweb reported that weekly active users surpassed 150 million for the first time this year. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman noted in an X post that the company gained one million users in just one hour, a stark contrast to the five days it took to reach the same milestone following ChatGPT’s initial launch.
The viral trend also drove strong growth in ChatGPT’s in-app revenue and downloads. According to SensorTower, global app downloads rose by 11%, weekly active users increased by 5%, and in-app purchase revenue climbed by 6% compared to the previous week.
However, the rapid growth placed a strain on OpenAI’s servers, resulting in occasional outages and performance issues. Altman acknowledged the challenges and warned that new releases could be delayed as the company works to scale its infrastructure.
The popularity of AI-generated Ghibli-style images has also sparked legal concerns over potential copyright violations. While copyright law traditionally protects specific creative works rather than artistic styles, the legal implications remain uncertain.
The debate gained further attention after resurfaced comments from Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki. In 2016, Miyazaki condemned AI-generated imagery, calling it “utterly disgusting” and expressing no interest in incorporating such technology into his work.
As OpenAI navigates both the surging demand and the legal uncertainties surrounding AI-generated art, the broader implications of AI-driven creativity continue to generate discussion across the tech and entertainment industries.
