OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday that the company is facing unprecedented capacity issues due to the overwhelming popularity of ChatGPT's newly launched image generation tool. This surge in demand is causing delays in the release of new features, Altman stressed. While the company is actively working to address the situation, users may experience slower service speeds due to the increased traffic.
Image Source: AI-generated image, licensed through Midjourney
Altman stated in his posts: "We're working to get ahead of this, but you should expect delays in new OpenAI releases, potential issues, and slower-than-usual service at times as we grapple with capacity challenges." He pledged that the company would accelerate its efforts to resolve these issues as quickly as possible.
Since the launch of ChatGPT's new image generation capabilities, it has garnered significant attention while also sparking considerable controversy. Its ability to replicate the styles of classic hand-drawn animations, such as those from Studio Ghibli, has generated much discussion. Altman admitted that the company has been "struggling to keep up" since the launch, with employees working overtime and weekends to maintain service.
According to Altman, ChatGPT gained one million new users in just one hour on Monday. Currently, ChatGPT boasts 500 million monthly active users and 20 million paying subscribers. The company projects these numbers to reach 300 million and 15.5 million, respectively, by the end of 2024.
To cope with the continuously increasing traffic, OpenAI has decided to postpone the rollout of the image generation feature to free ChatGPT users and temporarily disable new user access to the video generation capabilities within the Sora AI media tool suite. These adjustments aim to alleviate system strain and ensure continued service for existing users.
OpenAI's challenges highlight the technological pressures associated with massive user growth and reflect the company's struggle to balance user demand with service quality while pursuing innovation.
