Sam Altman Warns of OpenAI Delays Due to Capacity Issues

OpenAI Faces Delays Due to ChatGPT Image Tool Popularity

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, announced on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday that the significant demand for the company’s recently launched image-generation feature within ChatGPT is resulting in unforeseen delays to product development.

Altman communicated that while efforts are underway to stabilize the system, users should anticipate potential disruptions. These include postponed releases, occasional service outages, and reduced performance speeds as OpenAI addresses current capacity limitations.

Rapid User Growth and Capacity Challenges

The introduction of OpenAI’s new image-generation functionality was met with considerable attention – and some debate – due to its remarkable capacity to emulate artistic styles, such as the distinctive hand-drawn animation of Studio Ghibli.

According to Altman’s statements on X, the company has struggled to maintain pace with demand since the feature’s release. Employees have been working extended hours, including nights and weekends, to ensure continued service availability.

A surge in user acquisition was also reported. ChatGPT experienced an influx of one million new users within a single hour on Monday.

Current User Statistics

Currently, ChatGPT boasts 500 million weekly active users and a subscriber base of 20 million paying customers. This represents substantial growth compared to the end of 2024, when the platform had 300 million users and 15.5 million subscribers.

Temporary Measures to Manage Demand

To mitigate these capacity issues, OpenAI has implemented several temporary measures. The release of the image-generation tool has been postponed for users of the free version of ChatGPT.

Furthermore, video generation capabilities have been temporarily disabled for new users of Sora, OpenAI’s comprehensive collection of generative AI media tools.

These adjustments are intended to allow OpenAI to optimize its infrastructure and ensure a stable experience for all users as they navigate this period of rapid growth and increased demand.