Last week, there was a significant spike in users due to the current fad of using ChatGPT’s picture tool to create Ghibli-style AI art, which placed stress on OpenAI’s servers and briefly restricted access.

Social media users from all across the globe posted AI-generated pictures that were influenced by Studio Ghibli’s distinctive hand-drawn aesthetic. Hayao Miyazaki co-founded Studio Ghibli, which is well-known for “Spirited Away” and “My Neighbor Totoro.” Excitement and nostalgia for these cherished films were evoked by the trend.

For the first time this year, 150 million people used ChatGPT on a weekly basis, according to Similarweb. “We added one million users in the last hour,” said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who delivered the news, drawing a comparison to the first spike in users two years before.

After OpenAI published an upgrade to their GPT-4o model with improved picture generating capabilities, other important indicators, including as active users, in-app income, and app downloads, also hit new highs. Global downloads increased by 11%, weekly active users increased by 5%, and income increased by 6%, according to SensorTower statistics.

It’s hilarious to watch people like photographs on ChatGPT, Altman said in response to the demand. Our GPUs, however, are melting.