Seoul, April 1
The daily active users (DAU) of ChatGPT, a generative artificial intelligence (AI) service developed by OpenAI, rose to a new high last month, driven by the popularity of its new image filter that transforms personal photos into famous Japanese animation-style illustrations, industry data showed on Tuesday.
ChatGPT's DAU reached a record 1.25 million as of last Thursday, up from 1.03 million on March 10 and 790,000 on March 1, according to the data from industry tracker IGAWorks.
The rapid growth came with OpenAI's new image-generation tool, which allows users to convert their photos into illustrations inspired by Studio Ghibli films, reports news agency.
Founded by Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio behind famous films, such as "My Neighbor Totoro," "Howl's Moving Castle" and "Spirited Away."
The new image tool gained global attention after OpenAI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sam Altman changed his profile picture on X, formerly Twitter, to a Ghibli-style version of himself, sparking a wave of user interest.
However, the surge in AI-generated animated images has raised copyright concerns and technological issues.
Altman said OpenAI plans to introduce rate limits on the feature, saying, "Our graphic processing units are melting."