OpenAI has introduced its 4o model into ChatGPT to enable native image generation within the chatbot atmosphere. This upgrade makes it so you don’t have to use OpenAI’s Dall-E image generation model as a separate entity, though Dall-E remains available for those as a preference. The AI brand has also enabled its Sora AI video generator within ChatGPT. 

The new features are currently available for ChatGPT free users, as well as for ChatGPT Plus, Team, and Pro users. Availability will be coming to enterprise and education users next week.

Previously, Dall-E 3 was the image generation plug-in for paid ChatGPT subscribers. Meanwhile, those who wanted to try the generator for free could do so through the basic tier of Microsoft Copilot. 

The model has been lauded as one of the top image generators available, particularly in its paid version. Despite the benefit of all ChatGPT users being able to use image generation natively with the 4o model, those using the free tier of ChatGPT should be prepared to run into some limitations, such as maximums for file uploads and data analysis, CNET noted. 

Even so, ChatGPT will benefit from having more realistic images with more legible text after OpenAI spent a year having GPT-4o go through a post-launch training effort called “reinforcement learning from human feedback” (RLHF), according to the Wall Street Journal. 

After announcing GPT-4o in May 2024, OpenAI had a team of over 100 “human trainers” scouring the model for typos, as well as common errors in hands and faces, the project’s lead researcher, Gabriel Goh told the publication.

The GPT-4o model will also bring to ChatGPT the ability to create transparent backgrounds. This should be a major benefit for business users and creatives, as it will allow them to create logos or other iconography, ChatGPT multimodal product lead, Jackie Shannon also noted to WSJ. 

Despite the improvements that OpenAI has made, the updated GPT-4o model as a whole still has its shortcomings. It still has a propensity toward hallucinations, which is a common AI feature that has yet to be resolved. Maintaining editing consistency remains a challenge within the ChatGPT atmosphere; however, OpenAI has promised rapid updates, as early as next week. 

Another ongoing issue for OpenAI is the matter of ethics and legality. The brand insists its model was trained on “publicly available data,” and through proprietary data it owns via partnerships with brands including Shutterstock, WSJ noted. 

Images generated through ChatGPT based on the 4o model won’t have AI watermarks. However, the brand has indicated images will include C2PA⁠ metadata denoting them as AI-generated. This remains the industry standard.