OpenAI launched ChatGPT Images 2.6 on November 4, adding native animated GIF creation to ChatGPT and Codex. Users can turn a written prompt or an uploaded photo into a looping GIF, then change its speed, revise individual frames and share the result — a one-step route ChatGPT did not have before.

The release is available globally across all subscription tiers on web, desktop and mobile, and OpenAI says image volume now exceeds 4 billion images a week across ChatGPT, Codex and the API, up from more than 3 billion at the Images 2.5 launch on September 8. Images 2.6 also adds reusable reference images, aimed at keeping a subject consistent across successive edits.

For developers, OpenAI added two API models: GPT-Image-2.6 Flare, positioned for faster generation — RuntimeWire reports output in as little as six seconds and generation about 50% faster — and GPT-Image-2.6 Sunburst, positioned for higher-quality output and consistency across edits. The split mirrors the 2.5 lineup, separating fast draft work from premium production work.