OpenAI Tests Watermarking for ChatGPT's Free Image Generation, Sparking Debate

ChatGPT Image Generation Is Now Free for Everyone. Here's How Many Images You Get

The ChatGPT 4o image generator is now available to everyone for free. In a post on X on March 31, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the AI image generation tool has "now rolled out to all free users!" There's been a lot of buzz around the image generator recently as people have been using it to generate images in the style of Studio Ghibli animation. The rush to use the image generation tool in ChatGPT prompted Altman to say its servers "are melting" in a post on March 27. Altman said at the time that image generation would be free, but that users would be limited to three images per day. Those who pay for ChatGPT for $20 a month for a standard subscription of $200 for a Pro subscription won't have that limit. I tested the tool to create the lead image for this post. The ChatGPT app struggled a bit with a lost connection, but eventually generated an image of a ChatGPT logo flying over New York in less than five minutes. OpenAI's move to widen the audience for ChatGPT further with its image generator marks the latest chapter in an increasingly heated competition among companies developing AI technology. In addition to plenty of startups in the US, China and other countries, there's Apple, Anthropic, Microsoft and Google, which just introduced Gemini 2.5, its latest AI model, a week ago. ChatGPT is estimated to have about 500 million weekly users, but other AI models are gaining ground. In addition to improving their ability to handle tasks and solve problems, AI models are increasingly being asked to create content such as images and video. ChatGPT also has a feature to create videos called Sora, but that's still only available to paid accounts. Serena Huang, an AI consultant and author of The Inclusion Equation who holds a doctorate in economics, said she, too, was flooded with Ghibli images on her social media recently and has been thinking about the impact of widespread use of image generators like that of OpenAI. "AI image generation is a powerful catalyst for enhanced productivity and innovation," she told CNET. "It can speed up the content creation process, enabling rapid development of marketing materials and potentially facilitating more engaging communications. Overall, the fun aspect of AI also helps with the adoption and can turn many AI skeptics into a user overnight." That said, Huang noted that people should be concerned about the copyright complexities of AI-generated content, the energy consumption required to perform AI tasks, and the effects that image generation could have on creative industries, including lost jobs. Huang said she expects other companies offering rudimentary image creation, like Microsoft Copilot, to likely up their game. "I anticipate significant advancements as the competition for users intensifies," she said.

OpenAI tests watermarking for ChatGPT-4o Image Generation model

OpenAI is reportedly testing a new "watermark" for the Image Generation model, which is a part of the ChatGPT 4o model. This is an interesting move, and it's likely because more and more users are generating Studio Ghibli artwork using the ImageGen model. In fact, ChatGPT is in the news largely due to the Image Generation model, which is the most advanced multi-model shipped to date. Not only can it accurately generate images with texts, but it also allows you to create realistic visuals, such as art produced by Studio Ghibli, a famous and big name in the Japanese studio world. ChatGPT's ImageGen model was previously limited to paid users (ChatGPT Plus customers), but it has now rolled out to everyone, including those with a free subscription. As spotted by AI researcher Tibor Blaho, it looks like OpenAI is working on a new "ImageGen" watermark for free users. My sources also told me that OpenAI recently started testing watermarks for images generated using ChatGPT's free account. If you subscribe to ChatGPT Plus, you'll be able to save images without the watermark. However, it's unclear if OpenAI will move ahead with its plans to watermark images generated using ImageGen. Plans at OpenAI are always subject to change. In a blog post, OpenAI previously noted that it trained the model on a large set of images and texts, which is why the image generation is not only beautiful but useful. "We trained our models on the joint distribution of online images and text, learning not just how images relate to language, but how they relate to each other," OpenAI noted. "Combined with aggressive post-training, the resulting model has surprising visual fluency, capable of generating images that are useful, consistent, and context-aware."

Your ChatGPT images may soon have a watermark if you're on the free plan

Summary OpenAI's GPT-4o model allows users to generate images and restyle photos, but may soon add watermarks for free-tier users. Watermarking AI-generated media is a hot topic, yet OpenAI is testing watermarks only for images created by free-tier users. ChatGPT's GPT-4o release offers image generation, but the watermark may be used to encourage users to subscribe to the premium plans. OpenAI focused its efforts on popularizing the chatbot experience ChatGPT offered since the initial public launch. At the time, image generation was handled by specialized AI tools like Midjourney. A year later, the boundaries are blurred because chatbots can create simple images too. Meta AI and Google's Gemini do it, but OpenAI is rather new on the scene with its GPT 4o model. Now, the company is reportedly testing watermarking for generated images. Related 11 AI tools I can't believe are free These AI tools cost nothing, which is exactly how much I want to spend Posts 2 GPT-4o was released to the public for free last week, after a short period where only paid subscribers could access it. Besides several other improvements, this new model unlocks image generation for users, you can supply a fully textual prompt or use an existing image and have it restyled. The internet is abuzz with ChatGPT restyling photos to match Studio Ghibli's art style as well. However, to limit the toll of a surge in usage, free users are likely limited to generating only two images per day. However, rampant usage of the Studio Ghibli art style seems to have highlighted another problem with GPT-4o -- lack of watermarking. AI researcher Tibor Blaho, who goes by @btibor91 on X, recently shared that version 1.2025.0912509108 of the ChatGPT Android app mentions a new ImageGen watermark (via BleepingComputer). ImageGen is the model that powers the image generation capabilities of the multi-model experience that GPT-4o is. Watermarks only on free-tier output? An odd choice While the AI industry is collectively pushing for watermarking AI-generated media so it is never usable as a substitute for human-created content, OpenAI is doing something weird by testing watermarking only for images generated by free-tier users. This could resemble how stock image distributors watermark free download copies and demand payment for larger resolution or watermark-free results, serving as a lure for ChatGPT's paid tiers. This is likely separate from the digital watermarking that distinguishes human work from the AI's output, but it will be interesting to see how users take the change when it rolls out. OpenAI hasn't mentioned this publicly or committed to a timeline yet, but rivals like Gemini and Meta AI already add visible watermarks to generated images.

ChatGPT free users, look away now! OpenAI is testing watermarks on image generation that could render the feature redundant unless you pay

Paid ChatGPT subscribers are likely to not see watermarking on images ChatGPT 4o's image-generation capabilities have been the talk of the town over the last week or so, but it looks like free users might get hit with a downgrade very soon. OpenAI is currently testing watermarks in a new version of the ChatGPT Android app and it looks like free users are going to be the ones to suffer. Shared by @btibor91 on X, code in version 1.2025.0912509108 beta references "image-gen-watermark-for-free", hinting at upcoming watermarking presumably for users on the ChatGPT free plan. This watermark implementation comes off the back of ChatGPT server overload following the release of 4o's impressive image-generation capabilities and the viral use of the platform to create Studio Ghibli-esque imagery. Up until this point, the Studio Ghibli-style images have had no watermarking, causing huge concern among creatives as the ethics of AI image generation has once again been called into question. Now it looks like you'll need to pay for ChatGPT Plus, which costs $20 / roughly £16 a month, in order to get full access to 4o's image-generation tool without watermarks and without a minuscule 3-a-day limit. While it's possible that OpenAI is just testing watermark capabilities in the beta release of the ChatGPT Android app, this implementation is likely to occur sooner rather than later. There has been significant backlash following the viral trend of anime images that resemble Studio Ghibli, and this looks to be the first step in addressing those copyright concerns. While ChatGPT Plus is already a compelling value proposition for those who use AI frequently, including a watermark on images generated by free users could see an increase in paid subscriptions. That said, we don't know what these watermarks look like as of yet, and depending on how large they are it could be a positive step in regulating AI-generated images on social media.

OpenAI might start watermarking ChatGPT images -- but only for free users

Everyone has been talking about ChatGPT's new image-generation feature lately, and it seems the excitement isn't over yet. As always, people have been poking around inside the company's apps and this time, they've found mentions of a watermark feature for generated images. Spotted by X user Tibor Blaho, the line of code image_gen_watermark_for_free seems to suggest that the feature would only slap watermarks on images generated by free users -- giving them yet another incentive to upgrade to a paid subscription. Recommended Videos This isn't the first time OpenAI has played around with the idea of watermarks, however. Reports last year revealed that the company had developed a tool for watermarking AI-generated text as well, but ultimately didn't release it. This decision was criticized by many since it appeared to put profits ahead of responsible conduct -- watermarking would help keep AI-generated content from appearing in places it shouldn't be, but if people can't use the product freely, they're more likely to lose interest in it. Watermarking images generated by free users, on the other hand -- well, that could have a positive impact on profits if handled correctly. There's no saying yet whether this feature will see the light of day, but users could have plenty to say about it if it does. The most important thing is how these watermarks look -- the term itself suggests text or logos would be overlayed on top of the image, but that might not be the case. Google's watermarking system for AI images, for example, isn't visible to humans. It tweaks a small number of pixels to make a pattern for watermark detection tools to find. This kind of approach is useful on multiple fronts -- it doesn't spoil the image for human viewers and it's also harder to remove the watermark by cropping, adjusting, or photoshopping the image. It would certainly keep free users happier -- but on the other hand, the decision to remove it for paid users would seem weirder. If the images look the same either way, then the only benefit paid users would get from losing the watermark is the ability to try and pass their AI-generated images off as human-made or as real photographs. And if that doesn't sound dodgy, I don't know what does. This is all speculation, though -- there are no details available about this potential feature and OpenAI might never release it anyway. Perhaps if enough people ask Sam Altman about it on X, he'll respond.

ChatGPT could start using watermarks on its images - Softonic

The generation of images through artificial intelligence has reached a new milestone with the launch of GPT-4o, which has led to a significant increase in the creation and dissemination of hyper-realistic images on social platforms. Especially referred to as the Studio Ghibli style, these creations have captured the attention of millions, even causing temporary congestion in the AI's image generation capacity due to their popularity. However, the growing popularity of these images raises legal concerns, as their realism could lead to issues regarding copyright and intellectual property. In response to these concerns, OpenAI is considering implementing a watermark on images generated by its AI. This information was revealed by AI researcher Tibor Blaho, who found references in the AI's code suggesting the inclusion of this watermark, specifically for users utilizing free accounts. References to image-gen-watermark-for-free indicate that users without a ChatGPT Plus or Pro subscription will see a watermark on their generated images. According to sources consulted by BleepingComputer, those who opt for the premium subscription will not have this restriction, which could encourage more users to pay for the service. This approach is not unprecedented for OpenAI, which previously raised the possibility of applying watermarks to texts generated by its AI. With the increase in the perfection of artificial intelligence, the implementation of watermarks seeks to mitigate the risks associated with deepfakes and fraud. The current challenge is to find a balance between accessibility in the use of AI and the protection of copyright, while the watermarking system is established as an emerging standard in the field of artificial intelligence.