OpenAI CEO Wants Break From Studio Ghibli-Style Image Trend — 'Our Team Needs Sleep'

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has urged ChatGPT users to slow down on AI-generated images, as overwhelming demand—largely driven by the viral trend of Studio Ghibli-style pictures—has put immense strain on the company’s systems.

In a post on X on Sunday, Altman wrote, "Can y’all please chill on generating images, this is insane. Our team needs sleep." Responding to a user, he described the surge in requests as “biblical demand” and said OpenAI has been unable to catch up since launch.

One user even responded with a Studio Ghibli-style image of the Open AI team looking exhausted generated using the ChatGPT-4o image model.

The trend took off after OpenAI’s latest AI model, GPT-4o, introduced an integrated image generator, allowing users to create stunning Studio Ghibli-style illustrations of themselves and others. Within days, social media was flooded with these AI-generated images, fuelling a wave of excessive usage.

On Thursday, Altman warned that OpenAI’s GPUs were "melting" due to the massive workload and announced temporary rate limits. Free-tier users will soon be limited to three image generations per day, while the feature remains exclusive to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Team, and Select subscribers. "Hopefully won’t be long!" he assured, emphasising ongoing efforts to improve efficiency.

Altman also acknowledged that some valid image requests were being mistakenly blocked, promising a quick resolution.

OpenAI also recently unveiled GPT-4.5 5, its most advanced AI model to date. Unlike previous versions, it is designed for more general-purpose intelligence. Altman described the experience as akin to "talking to a thoughtful person," adding that the model had left him “astonished” at times. “This isn’t a reasoning model and won’t crush benchmarks. It’s a different kind of intelligence… really excited for people to try it!” he said.