The new ChatGPT Images is a stunning improvement, and enormously fun

OpenAI just dropped a major upgrade to ChatGPT's image generation capabilities, dubbed "ChatGPT Images," and it's surprisingly good at something AI has long struggled with: handling text accurately. The new tool can now edit and recontextualize images with remarkable precision, transforming a simple photo into complex scenarios while maintaining realistic shadows and proportions.

A tech journalist put the system through its paces, starting with a basic shirt change request and ending up creating an elaborate Star Trek-themed holiday party invitation complete with accurate text that read "Lights! Eggnog! Punching!" The AI successfully composited the writer into various scenarios at Vasquez Rocks, added a classic Gorn monster, dressed characters in Star Trek uniforms, and even created a snow-dusted Christmas scene.

While the tool still makes some unasked-for changes, like altering facial expressions or camera angles, it avoids the unsettling "uncanny valley" effect that plagued earlier AI image generators. The upgrade represents a significant leap forward for ChatGPT, which had fallen behind competitors like Google's image tools, and is now available across all ChatGPT tiers, including the free version.