That viral Ghibli trend helped ChatGPT make millions of dollars

• A recent report shows image- and video-related AI features result in far more downloads than newer models.
• Both ChatGPT and Gemini saw huge spikes in downloads following the launches of their respective image generation tools last year.
• However, while OpenAI monetized it well, generating $70 million, Google made only a small fraction from its Nano Banana success.

OpenAI recently released its Images 2.0 model, and it has already kicked off a new trend that lets you imagine yourself in the same frame as your younger self. And this is not the first trend sparked by new image models, with earlier ones like the Ghibli trend set off by ChatGPT or the 3D figurine trend fueled by Google’s Nano Banana. According to experts, these phenomena also led to the fastest growth in apps, which, in turn, helped generate revenue faster than any other AI model releases.

AI-based image generation and manipulation contribute a large share to the growth of AI chatbots based on large language models. This was recently reported (via TechCrunch) by Appfigures, an app store optimization and analytics platform.