Can ChatGPT generate images? Yes, and here's how to do it – Android Authority
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Since ChatGPT’s release in late 2022, the chatbot has received numerous updates to add features like web browsing support and third-party plugins. Not to mention, the latest GPT-4 Turbo model adds multi-modal capabilities that allow the chatbot to go beyond the written word with vision and speech. With that in mind, you may wonder: can ChatGPT generate images like other AI platforms? The answer’s a bit complicated, so let’s break it down.
Yes, ChatGPT can generate images but it relies on DALL-E 3 for all of the heavy lifting. San Francisco-based startup OpenAI created both ChatGPT and DALL-E, so it’s easy to see why the two AI tools are interdependent. It didn’t always work this way, though — for roughly a year, you could only use ChatGPT and DALL-E as separate apps. But in October 2023, OpenAI enabled image generation within ChatGPT for the first time ever.
Just like ChatGPT itself, DALL-E is an extension of the underlying GPT large language model. The latter allows DALL-E to understand the meaning of your prompts regardless of language and convert it into digital artwork. Mind you, this isn’t a novel concept anymore — dozens of AI image generation tools now exist, as we’ll explore in a later section.
Coming back to ChatGPT integration, though, it means you can now type in a description like “A fluffy dog-shaped cloud set against a clear blue sky above a bustling metropolis.” And within seconds, the chatbot will generate four images for you to choose from. Your prompt plays a big role in determining the final image, so you’ll want to specify as much detail as possible.
Unfortunately, ChatGPT 3.5 or the free tier cannot generate images or AI-generated art. You’ll need an active ChatGPT Plus subscription, which currently costs $20 per month. That may seem steep at first glance but it also unlocks higher-quality responses via GPT-4, plugins, and internet browsing capabilities, among other features.
ChatGPT’s free tier uses the GPT-3.5 language model, which wasn’t created with AI image generation in mind. It’s a fine-tuned version of the GPT-3 model released in 2020, with the newer model simply gaining the ability to handle human-like conversations. Even though OpenAI was working on DALL-E 2 around the time of ChatGPT’s initial release, it remained an independent text-to-image platform.
It wasn’t until late 2023 that OpenAI introduced DALL-E 3 to the world. This time, the company described it as being “built natively on ChatGPT” and that it “lets you use ChatGPT as a brainstorming partner and refiner of your prompts.” Put simply then, ChatGPT improves your image descriptions and passes along a more detailed prompt to DALL-E 3 behind the scenes.
We don’t know how much of this interdependence between DALL-E 3 and ChatGPT depends on the latest GPT-4 language model. Could image generation eventually come to the free version of ChatGPT? Perhaps, but it doesn’t look likely anytime soon. Similar to how GPT-4 has remained exclusive to ChatGPT Plus, image generation could remain locked for the foreseeable future.
Generating images within ChatGPT takes just a few seconds, here’s how you can get started:
While AI image generation is a cool feature, very few people will benefit from it enough to justify a monthly subscription. That’s not a problem, though, as you can use one of the many free AI image generators competing with ChatGPT and DALL-E. Here are your options:
No, ChatGPT has strong content filters that prevent it from generating NSFW images.
Yes, ChatGPT can draw images if you have a Plus subscription and ask it to generate an image.
ChatGPT cannot modify existing images yet, but it can generate new images from scratch if you request it.
