San Francisco, CA – A new artificial intelligence trend is capturing the attention of internet users, with OpenAI unveiling its ChatGPT-4o image generator. This upgraded tool allows users to create images in the style of the popular Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli, leading to a surge in demand that OpenAI is currently struggling to keep up with. The increased usage of ChatGPT is expected to benefit tech giant Microsoft, which is a major investor in OpenAI and provides cloud services to the company.
According to analysts at Jefferies, the growing user base of ChatGPT signals potential revenue growth for OpenAI, ultimately boosting the company’s valuation. This comes on the heels of OpenAI closing the largest private tech funding round on record, raising $40 billion in a recent investment round led by SoftBank and other investors. The company’s valuation now stands at an impressive $300 billion, up from $157 billion just a few months ago.
The popularity of ChatGPT has been steadily rising since its launch in November 2022, but the recent trend of creating images in the Studio Ghibli style has caused a significant spike in demand. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reported a rapid increase in users, with one million new users joining in just one hour. This surge in usage has led to record-high weekly app downloads, active users, and revenue from subscriptions and in-app purchases, according to data from SensorTower.
In addition to Microsoft benefiting from the increased usage of ChatGPT, producers of graphic processing units (GPUs) like Nvidia, AMD, and Intel are also expected to see a positive impact from the trend. Altman mentioned the need for additional GPU capacity to meet the growing demand, indicating that deals with GPU providers could potentially bring in billions of dollars annually for them.
Overall, the rise of ChatGPT and the recent image creation trend have not only captured the attention of internet users but also have significant implications for the companies involved, signaling potential growth and revenue opportunities in the AI industry.