ChatGPT’s new image generator is now 'delayed for a while' for free users

ChatGPT logo on phone
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Images created by ChatGPT’s latest AI image generator have been doing the rounds online. But while they were originally meant to be available in all versions of ChatGPT, both free and paid, that plan has now been delayed.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, announced on Wednesday via a post on X that the feature had been much more popular than first expected. This unexpected popularity has resulted in a delay in the rollout of the plan.

No date was announced for when this feature will come to the free version of ChatGPT, with Altman simply stating it will be “delayed for a while.” However, anyone can use it on ChatGPT Plus (for $20 a month) or on the more expensive Pro version.

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What is so good about this new image model?

No date was announced for when this feature will come to the free version of ChatGPT, with Altman simply stating it will be “delayed for a while.”

This new image tool utilizes OpenAI’s GPT-4o – an upgraded model that was announced for ChatGPT last year. That was originally only available for text-based requests until now, with the introduction of the 4o image generation.

This brought about a variety of new and improved features, but the focus here is an increase in realism and detail in your images. While it takes slightly longer to generate the images, OpenAI has claimed to improve background details and let the model spend more time on finer details.

Equally, this latest model has an increased focus on communication. It can hold the information you have discussed with the model, allowing for fluid conversations to result in a more detailed image at the end. Equally, improvements have been made to the generation of texts and words in images — a task that has proved challenging for AI models in the past.

In our initial tests with the model, we were impressed by its ease of use and ability to pivot on style and input based on your conversations with it. However, even with the improvements in text detection, it does still have a habit of messing up words in images.

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Alex Hughes

Alex was an AI editor at Toms Guide. Before joining the Tom’s Guide team, Alex worked for the brands TechRadar and BBC Science Focus.

He was highly commended in the Specialist Writer category at the BSME's 2023 and was part of a team to win best podcast at the BSME's 2025.

In his time as a journalist, he has covered the latest in AI and robotics, broadband deals, the potential for alien life, the science of being slapped, and just about everything in between.

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