AI Image Generation Gone Good and Mainstream (+ What That Means for Your Business)

In case you missed it:

The internet was just flooded with a wave of Ghibli-style memes this week. Even the White House chimed in. What happened?

Well, everyone's AI darling ChatGPT just launched its new native image generation and added more than 1 million users in a single hour (for comparison: it took ChatGPT five days to reach 1 million users when it launched).

Today, this image generation feature is available to all of its 400M+ users, making ChatGPT out of the box the largest creative graphics tool on the planet (Canva has 220M users, Midjourney about 20M+).

You could write this off as just another toy. But I think this is changing the rules. A business leader colleague just called it her second AI "aha" moment - the first being ChatGPT itself - and it's unleashing a whole new wave of creativity.

But business use cases aren't straightforward. That's why today I'm sharing my favorites.

Let's dive in!

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What makes this truly new

Let's talk about why this is actually game-changing.

Before, AI image generation was kind of a hack job. When you tried getting ChatGPT to create an image, you weren't really talking to one model. Instead, it would just pass your request to another AI tool (like DALL-E).

Think of it like talking to a painter over the phone to explain what you want - a lot gets lost in translation.

For example, when I asked ChatGPT to modify my book cover or place it in a different scene, the results were disappointing:

Why? Because "old" GPT-4o couldn't "see" my original image and properly describe all its details to DALL-E.

What's happening now is fundamentally different. Models like GPT-4o and Gemini are now truly multimodal - they can understand and generate both text AND images natively.

This matters because:

1. No technical skills required

2. Much higher quality results

3. Better understanding of your intentions

4. Faster iterations

And here's the business angle: the global graphic design market is valued at around $60 billion. Think about how often you need visuals in your professional life - presentations, social media, ads, reports, product mockups.

This new capability puts AI image power in everyone's hands.

How I used this personally

Let me share a quick example from my own work.

I was prepping a talk recently on "Stop Chasing AI – Start Chasing Profit Instead" for a company event and needed an illustration.

One of my early slides explains the "Boil the ocean" approach for AI and how it leads AI projects into disaster. Here’s how the slide looked:

Then I wanted to explain WHY these projects die a slow death wanted to show what people THINK AI projects cost vs. the REALITY.

Classic iceberg metaphor, right?

So I asked ChatGPT to put an iceberg in the ocean that's visible from both above and below:

Nice!

And that became my slide, created in seconds rather than digging through stock photos or hiring a designer (which I’d never done for this task):

It wasn't the last time I used this.

Business applications

But beyond simple slides, what are the practical business use cases for AI image generations? Here are my favorites I've spotted or used recently:

Visual asset variations

Upload your company's key visual (that you've used 20+ times in slides and communications) and generate fresh variations in the same style. Because these new models can literally "see" and "paint" in one go, they maintain your brand aesthetics while still making it look "fresh".

For example, the slide decks of RAPYD.AI have a certain aesthetic that feature sketch-like images like this mountain here (originally created by an designer). If I want a new motive, I can simply ask ChatGPT for this:

Before/after comparisons

Show potential customers the transformation your product delivers. No more complicated layer masks or Photoshop skills needed. The AI understands the entire image context and can generate compelling visual stories for your business.

Great example found here on X by someone whose business is buying and renovating shopping malls ("StripMallGuy") using ChatGPT's new image generation for pre-rendering shopping mall renovation projects, saving $$$ and time going back and forth with architects.

Product mockups

Product mockups are a staple in product development. Or have you ever tried launching something without showing what it actually looks like? Exactly – doesn’t work.

Here's another cool example where someone used the new ChatGPT image generation to not only visualize an idea, but to create an entire brand (along with a really nice slogan - "Sip back and relax!")

Creative product shots

Ever wanted to show people how using your product in a specific scenario might look like? Thanks to AI image generation, it's as simple as describing what you want. This can lead to much higher engagement, better storytelling, and a deeper emotional connection with your audience.

Want your coffee mug on a cozy cabin windowsill at sunrise? Or your fitness app being used during a sunrise jog in Tokyo? Done in seconds. Or hey, what about having someone hold my book on Mount Everest?

(If the book was about Alpine Sports, this would be a cool shot actually)

Ads

Okay, I don't think billboard ads will get disrupted so fast. But think of all the countless display ads you run on the web (especially those thumbnail-sized, or images for Insta or Facebook campaigns). Grabbing attention is going to be so much easier when you're actually able to effortlessly test multiple variations of your ad and double down on the one that works best.

Easy 5-figure impact here, even for small campaigns.

From generating the first ad idea from a briefing…

…to creating countless variations for easy testing.

All done in seconds.

Perfect output? No.
Useful starting points? YES!

Many applications might not seem obvious at first, but once you start thinking about relevant business processes that need you to touch graphics, opportunities will start revealing themselves.

Your Opportunity to Seize

So what does this all mean for your business?

We're witnessing the democratization of visual creativity at unprecedented scale – and it's happening right inside tools millions already use daily.

It’s clear that we’re not dealing with “yet another IT project”. It's a capability shift. If you're in business and waiting for your IT team to "look into it", you're already behind.

You don't even need to be technical to benefit. Just need to be aware. Strategic. Open to experimenting.

The companies that figure this out first will have a serious competitive advantage.

You've got options: use this moment to innovate – or wait until your competitors show you how it's done.

See you next Friday,
Tobias

PS: Need my help seizing custom AI opportunities in your business? Click here and I’ll be in touch.