This year has seen some rapid advances in AI image generation models, with Google's Nano Banana Pro going viral last month. But OpenAI is hoping to have the last word: On Tuesday, the company announced the newest version of ChatGPT Images, an AI image model with improvements that should help it follow instructions and create more detailed images. 

You can take advantage of the new model beginning today. It's available to all ChatGPT users globally and available in the API as GPT-Image-1.5. You can use the model in a new dedicated space in ChatGPT for images in the sidebar, with preset styles and trending designs, built specifically for image creation -- a major upgrade from simply talking with ChatGPT to generate images.

"Many people's first experience with ChatGPT involves turning a text prompt into a picture. It's a magical way to see what this technology can do, but the chat interface wasn't originally designed for this," Fidji Simo, CEO of applications at OpenAI, wrote in a blog post. "Creating and editing images is a different kind of task and deserves a space built for visuals."

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET's parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

OpenAI says that the new model is four times faster than the previous one and better able to follow instructions and handle precise editing. You'll be able to use those editing tools to add in specific objects, change styles of objects, try on specific pieces of clothing and remove elements. 

OpenAI says the new 1.5 model is also better at generating legible text in AI images. This is a notoriously tricky task for generative media models, with even the first generation of OpenAI's model falling flat on similar promises. Test images made with 1.5 seem to highlight improvements, but we'll have to wait to see how our hands-on testing goes.

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All of those updates would be massive upgrades compared to the original model. When I reviewed the first model, it was noticeably slower than competitors and lacked essential editing tools to refine your images. The improvements in the 1.5 model strive to fix those annoyances. 

This updated model comes a week after Disney and OpenAI struck an agreement to bring more than 200 of Disney's iconic characters to ChatGPT images and Sora AI videos. You won't yet be able to use the new model to make Disney characters -- that's set to come in early 2026 -- but it will surely make it easier to create those recognizable superheroes and villains.

New AI model, renewed concerns

OpenAI's timing with this new model likely isn't to help you make your holiday cards with AI. Google recently dropped Nano Banana Pro, the updated version of its viral AI image tool that came with the new Gemini 3. Nano Banana Pro's ability to make hyper-realistic images, with legible text, based on Gemini's world knowledge, marked a massive leap forward in generative media. It also renewed fears that it's harder than ever to identify AI-generated content.

OpenAI issued an internal code red after Google dropped Gemini 3, highlighting the company's desire to compete with the cutting-edge AI prowess Google displayed. Last week's release of OpenAI's GPT-5.2 was another effort to close the gap between itself and Google.

The first generation of OpenAI's image model prompted a trend of AI users making "Studio Ghibli" versions of themselves with ChatGPT. It also reignited the debate about the ethics and legality of using AI creative tools like AI image generators, particularly with Hayao Miyazaki, co-founder of Studio Ghibli, having said that AI tools are "an insult to life itself." 

Since March, we've seen a number of creators -- authors, writers and actors -- speak out about the danger of letting AI tools use human-created artistic works and human likenesses to create AI content. OpenAI's popular video generator Sora inflamed those debates this fall. 

Copyright holders have diverged in how they choose to handle AI, but many have chosen to travel one of two paths: Strike agreements or go to court. We've seen both, from Axel Springer and Future's deals with OpenAI and lawsuits from Reddit and Encyclopedia Britannica filed this year. Disney exemplifies this. One day before announcing its deal with OpenAI, Disney served Google a cease-and-desist letter for copyright infringement. Copyright has become one of the most important and controversial issues in the age of AI.