The battle for supremacy among AI image generation models is heating up with the release of OpenAI’s GPT Image 1.5, which the company said delivers more precise creations than ever before.
The launch comes just under a month after the arrival of Google’s Nano Banana Pro tool based on Gemini 3, which was widely considered a major step forward and has been warmly received by users.
OpenAI’s update is available now for most ChatGPT users globally and available in the API as GPT Image 1.5, bringing with it an array of updates. Business and Enterprise customers will have to wait for access.
These center around an ability to better follow a user’s instructions and speed, with OpenAI stating images can be generated up to four times faster than with previous models.
Also launching is a new Images tab within the ChatGPT app and browser, which is being pitched as an idea generator to “spark inspiration and make creative exploration effortless.”
The upgrades were announced in a post online, where commentary focused on the added level of precision. Edits, for example, can focus in on specific details, providing more consistency with elements such as lighting, composition and appearance across outputs. OpenAI said it also improved aspects of image editing, including adding, subtracting, combining, blending and transposing. Text rendering takes a step forward, too, with denser and smaller text now able to be accommodated.
The post highlighted how an array of pre-set ideas and concepts in the app and browser mean that no written prompt is required.
Fidji Simo, CEO of applications at OpenAI, explained the rationale behind the updates in a Substack post. While a first experience with ChatGPT often involves turning a text prompt into a picture, she acknowledged the interface was not originally designed for this and a “space built for visuals” was required. This, ultimately, led to the latest iteration, which is designed to work “more like a creative studio,” she added.
She went on to promise further image-focused improvements in the future, including the increased use of pictures in answers to prompts, to aid in research and provide comparisons.
The Images update follows on from OpenAI’s deal with Disney announced last week, enabling it to use more than 200 of its most famous characters on its Sora video generation, underscoring the rocketing importance of visuals in AI.
