ChatGPT was down for several users on Sunday as millions of users flocked to the AI platform to create Studio Ghibli images, which have become an overnight sensation on social media. Widespread errors were reported across the app and its API services.
DownDetector, a website that tracks outages, reported that at least 294 users complained about OpenAI’s service disruption, with 53% of the issues related to ChatGPT. Open AI officially acknowledged the issue and wrote, “We’re currently experiencing issues".
Around 30 minutes later, OpenAI said all ChatGPT services were fully recovered, and the affected component of ChatGPT during the outage was its web platform.
OpenAI released its most advanced image generator through an update on ChatGPT-4o, which allows users to transform any image of their liking into the Studio Ghibli style, an iconic hand-drawn animation design by Hayao Miyazaki that was featured in Oscar-winning movies.
People from all walks of life – from celebrities to politicians – are sharing their hand-drawn animation style pictures on social media. Indian politicians have also hopped on the bandwagon, sharing their animated avatars.
The GPT-4o model is capable of generating ultra-precise and photorealistic visuals but is particularly noted for capturing the soft, dreamlike quality of Ghibli’s style. Users can access the feature by opening ChatGPT and clicking on the three dots in the prompt bar, which opens a drawer with options for Image and Canvas.
Amid the unexpected success of the update, CEO Sam Altman has revealed how ChatGPT’s GPUs have been “melting" due to the heavy demand. He said OpenAI would temporarily limit the number of images users could generate, with free users allowed a maximum of three images.
As the craze continued, Altman said the response to the feature of the AI chatbot is “insane" and is leaving his teams with no time to rest. “Can yall please chill on generating images this is insane our team needs sleep (sic)," Sam Altman wrote on X.
Responding to a comment about handling high loads, Altman expressed his astonishment, stating that he had never witnessed such an overwhelming response before. “We just haven’t been able to catch up since launch, so people are still working to keep the service up… biblical demand, I have never seen anything like it," he said.
Since the feature was released, users have taken to platforms like X, Instagram, and TikTok, sharing their AI-generated Ghibli-inspired art, resulting in hashtags like #Ghiblified or #GhibliArt consistently trending, with everyone from regular users to politicians, influencers, celebrities, and even brands using the tool.
