The incredible DALL-E 3 image generator is now available for free in ChatGPT! But this new feature comes with a limit designed to encourage users to pay…

The incredible DALL-E 3 image generator is now available for free in ChatGPT! But this new feature comes with a limit designed to encourage users to pay…

For several weeks, OpenAI has taken several initiatives to make its technologies more affordable, and therefore more accessible to users, particularly in the free version of ChatGPT. The company has thus made its chatbot accessible to everyone, without the need to create an account, while deploying the new GPT-4o language model, which replaces GPT-3.5. And it does not stop there since it also improves image generation.

Indeed, since last September, ChatGPT has been able to generate images using DALL-E 3, from simple text descriptions, which are called prompts. Abstract painting, manga drawing, realistic photo, pencil portrait… Nothing is impossible! However, only users who have subscribed to the paid subscription, whether ChatGPT Plus, ChatGPT Team or ChatGPT Enterprise, could benefit from it. But OpenAI announced on its X account that, from now on, users of the free version of the chatbot could also benefit from the technology. There are, however, some limits…

DALL-E 3: a free but limited version

Launched in January 2021, DALL-E – a mix between the painter Salvador Dalí for the artistic side and the Pixar robot WALL-E – is based on deep learning, a technology that imitates the human neural system using algorithms. By analyzing and cross-referencing models from millions of photos, it manages to understand which word belongs to which image. A new version was released in July 2022, DALL-E 2, allowing more precise, more realistic images to be generated. Then finally came DALL-E 3, pushing the limits of AI even further by generating breathtaking visuals.

We were able to test it ourselves in the free version of ChatGPT, and it is clear that the result is much better than what the chatbot previously offered. We submitted the following prompt to it: “I’m opening a bakery specializing in sourdough bread. Create an illustration with wheat sheaves for the packaging.” After about ten seconds, we obtained an illustration in a fairly traditional style. We then tried with a more precise and original instruction: “Generates an image using DALL-E 3 of a mouse standing on top of a mountain of cheese, paws raised to the sky in victory, surrounded by the light of a full moon.”. Again, the result is as cute as it is impressive.

Third attempt, a message is then displayed: “You have reached your limit for image creation. Upgrade to ChatGPT Plus or try again tomorrow after 12:32.” Yep, it was too good to be true! OpenAI only allows the generation of two images per day using the free version of ChatGPT. This seems particularly limited, especially when DALL-E 3 is available in the free version of Microsoft Copilot with 15 daily boosts… On social networks, this restriction is not going down well with Internet users. It remains to be seen whether the company will take their feedback into account, but it is not a given. It did not make DALL-E 3 accessible to all out of the goodness of its heart, but to push users towards ChatGPT Plus, by offering them a preview of the image generation function.