TLDR
- OpenAI says users now generate over 4 billion images per week, up from 3 billion in September.
- ChatGPT can now create animated GIFs from text prompts or uploaded photos.
- Users can change playback speed, edit single frames, and share GIFs.
- The new Images 2.6 model promises faster image generation in ChatGPT and Codex.
- Developers get two new API models, GPT-Image-2.6 Flare and GPT-Image-2.6 Sunburst.
OpenAI says users now generate over 4 billion images each week across ChatGPT and its API. That figure is up from the 3 billion per week the company reported in September.
The growth comes as OpenAI rolls out Images 2.6, a new image model that adds animated GIF creation to ChatGPT. The Verge first reported the details of the update on November 4.
The jump of 1 billion weekly images took place in roughly two months. That window covers the time between the Images 2.5 launch and the new 2.6 release.
How the GIF Maker Works
ChatGPT users can now create GIFs from a text prompt or from a photo uploaded to the chatbot. Before this update, ChatGPT could not natively generate a GIF in a single step.
Once a GIF is made, users can change its playback speed and view it frame by frame. They can also edit individual frames and share the finished animation with others.
OpenAI showed the tool with the prompt “can you make a gif of a cat dancing?” The example included controls for animation speed and a frame-by-frame view.
The rollout of the GIF feature appears to be gradual. Decrypt reported that the tool was not available on its accounts during testing.
In Decrypt’s test, ChatGPT produced a series of frames but not a finished animation. This suggests most users may not have full access to the feature yet.
🚨 OpenAI just upgraded ChatGPT Images to 2.6!
You can now create GIFs directly from prompts or images, use reference images, and control animation speed.
Two new API models are coming too, promising 50% faster generation.
Static AI images → Animated AI content.
This is… https://t.co/eaweCwz4wI
— Akshay Nandwana | DevRel & Android (@akshay81844) November 5, 2026
Images 2.6 Brings Faster Generation
OpenAI says Images 2.6 enables faster image generation in ChatGPT. The model is rolling out to ChatGPT and Codex users on web, desktop, and mobile apps.
Developers are getting two new API models. GPT-Image-2.6 Flare is built for faster generation, while GPT-Image-2.6 Sunburst is aimed at higher-quality results.
OpenAI has not published a standalone announcement detailing the model’s capabilities. Decrypt said it could not independently test the new model’s performance.
The update follows ChatGPT Images 2.5, which OpenAI released on September 8. That version brought sharper details, more precise editing, and generation speeds up to 50% faster than Images 2.0.
Images 2.5 also introduced the earlier versions of the Flare and Sunburst API models. Flare served as the fast default, and Sunburst was built for premium editing precision.
In Decrypt’s testing, Images 2.5 faced Google’s Nano Banana 2 across six categories. Each model won three, and OpenAI’s model still made mistakes when rendering text.
The GIF feature arrives months after OpenAI shut down Sora, its standalone AI video app, in March. GIFs are simpler than the videos Sora produced, but the new tool adds motion generation inside ChatGPT without a separate app.
OpenAI has not given a date for when every ChatGPT account will receive GIF creation. For now, Images 2.6 is reaching ChatGPT and Codex users while the GIF tool continues to roll out in stages.
