OpenAI’s ChatGPT already has an impressive 800 million weekly active users, according to CEO Sam Altman. He made the announcement during the keynote presentation for OpenAI’s Dev Day, highlighting the rapid growth of the AI service since its launch in November 2022.
ChatGPT saw this intensity of user growth within mere days of its launch. The service was quickly adopted, as in only a few months the platform grew to 500 million weekly active users by the end of March. By August, that exciting initial number jumped to 700 million. If this trajectory continues, it will make ChatGPT one of the most rapidly adopted internet services of all time.
The level of engagement that ChatGPT has achieved in such a short period of time is mind-blowing. The platform currently handles more than 6 billion tokens per minute through its API. This is a testament to its robustness in processing large amounts of user engagement.
Let’s be clear here—OpenAI has been extremely forward looking and ambitious in what they’ve put out there. The company has introduced new products at a rapid pace, including Sora, a video-generation tool, which is paired with a specialized social media network. Importantly, OpenAI’s goal is to acquire as many AI chips as possible. These innovations are critical to scaling its AI infrastructure. The company is building five new Stargate data centers with Oracle and SoftBank.
During his presentation, Altman noted the collaborative environment surrounding OpenAI’s developments, stating, “Today, 4 million developers have built with OpenAI.” This thriving community of developers is set to benefit from new tools designed for building applications within ChatGPT and creating more complex agentic systems.
Altman emphasized the potential of these advancements, saying, “This will enable a new generation of apps that are interactive, adaptive, and personalized, that you can chat with.” This vision underscores OpenAI’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with artificial intelligence.