ChatGPT can now make animated GIFs from a prompt
OpenAI's new Images 2.6 model lets ChatGPT create GIFs from text or a photo, with controls for speed and individual frames, according to The Verge.
The facts
- ChatGPT can now create GIFs from a text prompt or an uploaded photo, according to The Verge. Users can change the playback speed, edit individual frames and share the result.
- The feature arrives with OpenAI's new Images 2.6 model, which also makes image generation faster in ChatGPT.
- OpenAI says users now generate over 4 billion images per week across ChatGPT and its API, up from 3 billion per week reported in September.
- Images 2.6 is rolling out to all ChatGPT and Codex users on web, desktop and mobile. GPT-Image-2.6 Flare and Sunburst are also launching in the API.
Case notes · Danny's take
Why it matters
Image generation has become a core habit, not a novelty. Four billion images a week is a usage number, and usage is what pays for the data centres behind it. GIFs are how most people already talk on WhatsApp and X, so this puts AI media inside everyday chat, not just creative tools. Easy to make also means easy to flood the feed.
For builders
The new API models, Flare and Sunburst, are the part to test. If you build sticker, meme or marketing tools, check the speed and quality gains against your current image pipeline before switching. Also check what the API actually lets you do with GIFs, since the source only describes the ChatGPT feature.
Not financial advice. Do your own investigation.
This story was summarised with AI from The Verge's reporting and checked against our editorial policy. Danny's take reflects his views. Disclaimer.
Danny Walter
Founder of Moon Republic, Volt Terminal and Moon Republic Academy. Author of The Market Is a Crime Scene and After the Applause.