AI Insights · Sneha Pandey · April 2025
MMM: The AI Ghibli Effect Propels ChatGPT Usage and Revenue
Open AI launched their GPT-4o image generation upgrade at the end of March, sparking a Studio Ghibli-inspired image generation trend that catapulted ChatGPT's app downloads, weekly active users (WAUs), and in-app revenue to record levels. By prioritizing image generation as a key feature of their language model, OpenAI underscores its competitive drive to sustain its leadership as other AI models gain traction in international markets.
Key Takeaways:
ChatGPT's app WAUs surpassed 200mn for the first time in the platform’s history in the week of the GPT-4o image generation announcement (3/24/2025) and the following week of the broader rollout (3/31/2025)
Weekly app downloads, WAUs and in-app purchase (or subscription) revenue on the ChatGPT app reached an all-time high during the week of 3/24/2025
During the week of March 24, 2025, ChatGPT rose to become the fifth most visited desktop site in the US, an increase from its average rank of ninth throughout 2024
Global app downloads and WAUs on the ChatGPT app increased 216% and 27% week-over-week, respectively, during the week of 3/31/2025, following the complete rollout of the image generation upgrade to free and Plus tier users
In-app purchase (or subscription) revenue increased by 19% week-over-week during the 2 week launch period (3/24/2025-4/6/2025)
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