OpenAI says India is ‘fastest-growing’ ChatGPT market amid viral Ghibli AI trend

However, the surge in new user signups for ChatGPT has also led to a severe strain on OpenAI’s capacity and resources.

New Delhi | Updated: April 4, 2025 11:39 AM IST

2 min read

The Utah court of appeals decided to impose sanctions on Richard Bednar, the attorney who was accused of filing a brief in the court which contained false citations which were created using ChatGPT. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

ChatGPT’s new image-generation option, which is driving the viral Ghibli AI trend, is shaping up to be one of the AI chatbot’s most popular features since its 2022 debut.

Over 130 million users have generated more than 700 million images since ChatGPT was upgraded with the image generator powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4o model on March 25, according to Brad Lightcap, the chief operating officer (COO) of OpenAI.

Importantly, Lightcap revealed that India has risen to become one of the fastest growing markets for ChatGPT. “[W]e appreciate your patience as we try to serve everyone. [The] team continues to work around the clock,” Lightcap wrote in a post on X on Thursday, March 3.
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Lightcap’s mention of India comes just days after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman hailed the rapid pace of AI adoption in the country.

Also Read | Sam Altman praises India’s AI adoption rate as Ghibli-style ChatGPT images go viral

OpenAI’s new image generator soared in popularity after users discovered its ability to turn real-world photographs into AI-rendered images in the style of Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli. However, the surge in new user signups for ChatGPT has also led to a severe strain on the company’s capacity and resources.

Welcoming the user response to the image generator, Altman had said last week that it was melting the company’s graphics processing units (GPUs). Earlier this week, he announced that the image generator’s popularity could result in product delays and temporarily degraded services since the AI startup is working on scaling up its infrastructure to meet the rapidly growing user demand.

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