ChatGPT finally adds the image tool the internet has been waiting for

Sometimes, GIFs can say what a thousand words can’t. A quick peek at my group chats would prove just that — there’s no shortage of ways to communicate without actually typing a word. I’ve normally relied on repositories like Giphy and Tenor for my GIF needs, though this popular AI tool might soon give me, and you, a way to give GIFs a more personal touch.

The tool I’m talking about is ChatGPT, and in addition to image generation, it will now also let you generate and edit GIFS, as highlighted by The Verge.

The development is part of OpenAI’s new Images 2.6 model, and it should allow users to turn text prompts and uploaded photos into short animated GIFs. For reference, ChatGPT can already generate GIFs, but they’re not truly animated. The current implementation simply simulates movement by placing two slightly different frames side by side. The new GIF generation ability, although not out yet, appears much different.

In a shared example, which highlights the feature in action, it looks like ChatGPT will be able to generate multiple frames of an image and play them in quick succession. Users will also be able to adjust playback speed, with options ranging from 0.5x to 2x. Existing options like the Edit prompt box and the option to resize or remove elements remain.

The options here are endless. You’ll be able to turn a photo of yourself into looping animations, expressing different emotions. You’ll essentially be able to save GIFs of yourself expressing emotions like happiness, sadness, anger, excitement, surprise, and more. Think of it like bitmojis, but animated GIFs with you in them.

In addition to GIF support, expect the update to bring faster image generation to ChatGPT. According to the company, compared to September, users are now already generating roughly 1 billion more images per week. The improvement in generation speed, paired with GIF support, should now help push that number even further.

Images 2.6 is rolling out to all ChatGPT and Codex users across web, desktop, and mobile apps now.