ChatGPT Crosses 1 Billion Users, Altman Confirms

On April 11, 2025, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed that ChatGPT’s user base had more than doubled in just a few weeks, pushing it past the 1 billion mark. 

The announcement came during a TED conversation with curator Chris Anderson and confirmed what many in the AI world had been anticipating: ChatGPT is growing at a historic pace.

The conversation turned revealing when Anderson referenced a private figure Altman had shared backstage. “How many users do you have?” Anderson asked.

Altman replied, “I think the last time we said was 500 million weekly actives, and it is growing very rapidly.”

Anderson pressed: “You told me that it like doubled in just a few weeks.”

“I said that privately, but I guess…” Altman said, throwing up his hands. Anderson offered to cut the remark, but Altman shrugged it off: “That’s okay. No problem. It’s growing very fast.”

Altman added that “something like 10% of the world uses our systems now,” estimating the number to be close to 800 million and broadly describing it as “hundreds of millions of users.”

The comments effectively confirmed ChatGPT’s active user base has reached or crossed the 1 billion mark, making it one of the fastest-growing digital platforms in history.

Ghibli Mode and Viral Growth

Much of the recent surge can be traced back to the March 25 launch of a new feature that allows users to generate images and videos in different styles—one of the most popular being the aesthetic of Studio Ghibli, the renowned Japanese animation studio behind films like My Neighbor Totoro.

The feature took off immediately, with users across social media showcasing AI-generated Ghibli-style content. On March 31, Altman posted on X that ChatGPT gained a million users in just one hour, largely due to the viral success of “Ghibli mode.”

I tried it myself, and the experience was as impressive as the buzz suggested. In seconds, the model produced visuals that felt authentically hand-drawn. It was easy to see why people were hooked.

the chatgpt launch 26 months ago was one of the craziest viral moments i’d ever seen, and we added one million users in five days.

we added one million users in the last hour.

— Sam Altman (@sama) March 31, 2025

The spike in engagement pushed ChatGPT to become the most downloaded app globally in March, according to Appfigures.

Personalization and Memory Features Rolling Out

Another driver of ChatGPT’s rapid adoption is the rollout of a new memory feature. The model can now retain information about users between sessions—something Altman said would allow it to “get to know users over the course of their lifetime” and help them “be the best and do the best they can.”

The feature is designed to make the experience more personal and consistent, shifting ChatGPT from a session-based tool to a long-term assistant that evolves alongside the user.

Loosening Restrictions Around Content

Altman also confirmed that OpenAI is easing certain guardrails, particularly around speech and image generation. He said the company is responding to feedback from users who want fewer restrictions and more creative freedom.

At the same time, questions about intellectual property are surfacing. Anderson asked whether OpenAI had considered compensating artists whose styles are being used in prompts.

Altman acknowledged the concern, saying that in the future, certain prompts could trigger automatic payments to creators who opt in. For now, he said guardrails are in place to prevent the generation of copyright-protected content.

The Age of AI Agents

Beyond image generation and personalization, OpenAI is moving into a new phase: autonomous AI agents.

Altman said the company’s future is focused on models that can act on behalf of users—transacting, managing tasks, and executing actions autonomously, but with safeguards to prevent the technology from acting out of bounds.

The shift toward agent-based systems is part of OpenAI’s broader strategy. It also follows the company’s recent funding round, reportedly the largest private raise in history, giving it a $300 billion valuation.

A New Standard for Digital Assistants

Altman addressed the broader concern that AI could replace human workers. He offered two ways to think about it: fear or adaptation.

“You can say, oh, man, it’s doing everything I do, what’s going to happen to me?” Altman said. “Or you can say, like, through every other technological revolution in history, okay, now there’s this new tool. I can do a lot more. What am I going to be able to do?”

He acknowledged that expectations for performance in various jobs will rise, but so will human capabilities, with the help of tools like ChatGPT.

Key Takeaways

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed at TED 2025 that ChatGPT’s user base has doubled in weeks, now reaching around 1 billion users.
  
• The surge is linked to viral features like the March 25 launch of Studio Ghibli-style image generation.
  
• ChatGPT added 1 million users in a single hour on March 31, and became the most downloaded app globally in March.
  
• New memory features allow ChatGPT to retain user history, improving personalization over time.
  
• OpenAI is loosening content guardrails and developing AI agents that can act on behalf of users.