The discussion at TED 2025 in April 11 was, unexpectedly, the time when it has finally arrived. On that day, the OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, during a live program, revealed something major about the AI field that could happen: maybe ChatGPT has achieved 1 billion weekly active users.
The above-quoted remark was made during the talk with Chris Anderson, the TED curator, who was asking Altman for the latest number of users. The incident that followed made a huge impression on the tech community.
A Quiet Bombshell on the TED Stage
In response to Anderson’s question, Altman at first was very modest. “I think the last time we said was 500 million weekly actives,” he said before quickly adding, “and it is growing very rapidly.”
Anderson then, confronted Altman with the fact that the CEO had told him in the green room the user count had “doubled in just a few weeks.” Altman, who was taken off guard, exclaimed, “I said that privately,” but then laughed it off and at the same time, confirmed the trend: “That’s okay, no problem. It’s growing very fast.”
He also shared that “About 10% of the world is using our systems,” giving us a user base closer to 800 million to 1 billion users— a big leap for any platform in such a short period.
Here are a few more anecdotes from the full interview, now available online. Watch the TED 2025 discussion here.
What’s Fueling the Explosive Growth?
The user numbers were drastically increasing due to a couple of recent actions from OpenAI. One of the most notable ones was the launch, on March 25, of a novel image generation feature by ChatGPT; among other features, it included a viral “Ghibli Mode” that imitates the style of Studio Ghibli, the iconic Japanese animation studio.
A mere few days later, on March 31, Altman updated the audience on X (formerly Twitter) that ChatGPT, partly as a result of the quick spread of the new tools’ popularity, had welcomed a million users in just an hour.
The booming social media trend and the high volume of installations on mobile devices together were the factors behind the rapid growth of the user base of an AI product that was unattainable before.
In the same vein, the information by App figures showed that ChatGPT was the most downloaded app in March 2025, which was the most significant proof of its mass appeal.
A New Era of AI: More Agents, Memory, and Less Limitation
Furthermore, a softer side of the numbers, Altman disclosed OpenAI’s big ideas about which projects they are currently engaged—ideas that might change the way people and AI interact forever.
He talked about AI agents, where after entering safety guardrails and with user consent, the models will be able to function independently and complete tasks on a person’s behalf. In a future scenario, these agents will be responsible for everything starting from emails to finances to scheduling, thus reducing the necessity of human input on everyday digital tasks.
He went on to unveil the “memory” feature, already available for a rollout to users, which enables ChatGPT to store past conversations and preferences over time. It is also likely that this could lead to a more personalized relationship between chatbot and the user for the long term.
“It’s a bit like having a shadow that helps you be your best self,” Altman depicted the AI as an intelligent assistant that can think and grow with you.
Disputes Over AI Image Generation
At the TED talk, a pivotal question was raised by Anderson, “Do artists deserve royalties when AI reproduces their art?”.
Altman said that as an organization, OpenAI is trying to develop a system that practice to give people the right of choice. In such a system, the creators will be paid off automatically provided that their work has been in a way inspired by some prompts.
In addition to this, he said that the company had slackened some limitations, especially involving speech and image issues just to be closer to their client needs for less censorship.
The Upcoming Plans of OpenAI
Having reached a nearly $300 billion valuation and becoming the largest private capital fundraising event in the history of technology companies, OpenAI is now on the verge to become a leading builder of data centers. Thus, the company is getting ready for an era where the actions of the human intellect are backed by the presence of AI agents.
The decision has, in turn, catalyzed additional debates over the role of AI in human employment. Altman was of the opinion, “I think it’s very difficult. I am really optimistic that people will leverage these tools for their benefit.”
The provider of this idea added that AI has improved significantly in recent years, yet the sentiment is still the same that people determine the usage of these tools whether it’s for their personal lives or career.
Indeed, the rumor about ChatGPT’s reaching 1 billion weekly active users is still vague, nevertheless, the indicators are that AI has ceased to be a mere tool and is now an integral part of daily working, creating, and communicating activities by people.
By utilizing viral image modes, memory personalizing tools and autonomous agents the AI world has undergone major developments. Drawing inspiration from Altman’s remarks at TED, we can confirm that this trend will keep soaring.
