The new feature and how it works
According to The Verge, ChatGPT can now create animated GIFs starting from a text prompt or a photo uploaded to the chatbot. The update is being rolled out alongside OpenAI's new Images 2.6 model and, according to the source, allows users to adjust animation speed, edit individual frames, and share the result with other users.
Before this change, The Verge writes, ChatGPT was unable to generate native GIFs in a single pass. The example cited by the company shows a GIF produced from a request for a dancing cat, with the ability to change playback speed and view the animation frame by frame.
What changes for users
The change involves two distinct but connected aspects: on one hand, the new ability to create GIFs; on the other, the Images 2.6 model, which according to OpenAI makes image generation faster within ChatGPT. With the update, therefore, creating animations no longer requires separate steps but takes place directly in the conversation with the chatbot.
The source also reports a usage figure: OpenAI says users generate more than 4 billion images per week across ChatGPT and its API, up from the 3 billion per week reported in September. This is a statement by the company, as reported by The Verge, and not an independently verified figure.
Models and distribution
According to the source, the Images 2.6 model is being rolled out to all ChatGPT and Codex users on web, desktop, and mobile apps. OpenAI is also launching in its API the GPT-Image-2.6 Flare and Sunburst models, presented as tools for faster, higher-quality image generation.
The actual quality of the GIFs produced, the precision of individual frame editing, and the real impact of the new model on generation times remain to be verified in practice. The material does not report prices, usage limits, or an end date for the rollout—elements that would be necessary to fully assess the update.
