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If you ever needed a visual representation of how far ChatGPT's AI image generation has come in just a year, then I don’t think there’s a clearer example than the two images I’ve generated and shown here, both from the same basic prompt, but created almost exactly a year apart.The prompt I used was simply, “Draw a bird”.As you can see, a year ago, ChatGPT was still creating images out of simple geometric shapes like triangles and circles:(Image credit: OpenAI)Now, a year later, when I type in the same prompt, I get this:(Image credit: OpenAI)The difference is like night and day, and it's really hard to think that just a year separates these two images.Free as a birdOne thing that ChatGPT is very good at is keeping a record of all your chats. Recently, I was upgraded to an Enterprise account, and in the process of switching, ChatGPT converted all my existing ChatGPT conversations to the new account, which is why I noticed one of my first interactions with ChatGPT from almost exactly a year ago, when I started my job on TechRadar writing about AI.One of the first things I asked ChatGPT to do in 2024 was to draw the bird, just to see what it could do.Of course, this geometric image isn't representative of the state of AI image generation a year ago, by a long way. At the time, Midjourney and others were quite capable of producing photo-realistic AI images, but this was all my free version of ChatGPT could manage.If I’d had a ChatGPT Plus account, things would have been different. A year ago today, I could have asked ChatGPT Plus to use its built-in DALL-E 3, a powerful AI image generator, to produce a photo-realistic image of a bird. It wouldn't have looked as good as the one ChatGPT can generate today, but it would have looked a lot better.Access to DALL-E 3 was added to all ChatGPT Plus accounts in October 2023, but at the time, it still wasn’t integrated into the free version of ChatGPT in the same way.It wasn’t until August 2024 that free ChatGPT users could start generating images in DALL-E, and even then, you were limited to just two image requests a day. When you reached your image limit, you were back to generating images that look like the one shown here.On trendThe ChatGPT action figure image trend was huge in April 2025. (Image credit: Future)It seems almost unimaginable these days that ChatGPT ever produced such basic-looking images. Ever since ChatGPT has upped its image generation game with a new native image generation engine, back in March this year, we’ve come to take superb AI image generation from the likes of ChatGPT and Google Gemini for granted.In fact, it's rare that a week goes by without another ChatGPT-inspired image fad trending on social media. It started with Studio Ghibli-inspired images and went on to include the action figure trend and others.Thinking about how far we've come in just a year is quite something, and it's got me thinking about where we'll be in another year's time.In 2026, will anything less than a fully realistic image with automatic video generation, including sound, based on the image be considered an abject failure? Quite possibly, or maybe we'll all be wearing AI glasses by then, and we'll be able to step inside our images, as if they were mini-worlds, and take a look at them from different angles.Whatever is going to happen, I can't wait to find out.You might also likeHow does ChatGPT actually know what to say? Here's how the AI generates its answersThis movie is fully AI-generated and has a fully SAG-AFTRA cast – here’s 3 things you need to know about Echo Hunter10 great but unexpected ways to use ChatGPT – Reddit users reveal their power tips

Microsoft Rus is about to file for bankruptcy, local reports claimThe company reduced its operations in response to the invasion of UkraineCountless foreign firms did the same alreadyA key Microsoft subsidiary in Russia is about to file for bankruptcy.A Reuters report citing “a note published on the official Fedresurs registry” claims, “Microsoft Rus LLC was intending to declare bankruptcy”.The company has four subsidiaries in the country, according to Tass: Microsoft Rus LLC (primary subsidiary responsible for marketing, localization, and partner relations), Microsoft Development Centre Rus (software development and engineering), Microsoft Mobile Rus (mobile technologies and services), and Microsoft Payments Rus (financial transactions and payment services).One down, three remainingFedresurs, or “Unified Federal Register of Legally Significant Information on the Activities of Legal Entities, Individual Entrepreneurs, and Other Economic Entities”, is Russia's official online registry that serves as a centralized platform for disclosing legally significant information about company and entrepreneurship activities in the country.Reuters is putting the news in the context of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.The company apparently continued providing key services in the country even after 2022 and major sanctions imposed on the country by Western nations, but in June 2022, it said it would be “significantly scaling down” because of the changes in the economic outlook and the impact it will have.When it comes to the sanctions, Microsoft participated in a sense, removing Russia Today (RT)’s mobile apps from the Windows App store. It also allegedly banned advertisements on Russian state-sponsored media in the days after the invasion.Microsoft is not the only company filing for bankruptcy in Russia, in the wake of the war.Last year, Pepeliaev Group reported “mass bankruptcies” of foreign companies flooding Russian courts. Google’s local subsidiary filed for bankruptcy in 2022, as well, claiming that the seizure of its bank account made it impossible to operate.You might also likeGoogle is officially leaving RussiaTake a look at our guide to the best authenticator appWe've rounded up the best password managers

We're reporting live from Snowflake Summit 2025 in San Francisco to bring you all the key details from the company's keynotes.First up this evening, a welcome keynote from Snowflake CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy who will begin by exploring how AI has impacted all organizations. He'll be joined by OpenAI Founder and CEO Sam Altman to discuss the future of AI.Tomorrow, we'll get into what's new for Snowflake, so stay tuned for all the updates as they happen!It's day one of Snowflake Summit 2025, and our priority is heading over to the registration desks for badge collection. The main event starts tomorrow, but tonight we're being welcomed by Snowflake CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy who will be joined by OpenAI's Sam Altman.

“They don’t really make life decisions without asking ChatGPT what they should do.” That’s what OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said about Gen Z during a talk at Sequoia Capital’s AI Ascent event recently.It wasn’t exactly shocking, more like confirmation of something many of us already suspected and what AI research points to. People are using ChatGPT for far more than proofreading emails or brainstorming ideas these days. It’s become a tool for thinking, weighing up options, and sometimes, making deeply personal decisions.In many ways, this makes sense, especially for Gen Z. This is a generation that grew up online, shaped by climate anxiety, economic instability, and digital intimacy. Turning to an AI tool like ChatGPT for life advice might seem concerning to some of us, but it also tells us something more interesting about how we think, trus,t and make decisions now.And, while Altman was specifically talking about Gen Z here, they’re not the only ones using ChatGPT this way. His broader point was that ChatGPT usage shifts by age group. Gen Z tends to treat it like “an operating system,” while people in their 20s and 30s use it more like a life advisor. Older users, he said, tend to treat it like a smarter search engine and a replacement for Google.I’m in my late 30s, and I see plenty of people in my millennial cohort doing exactly this. Asking it to vibe check an email one minute, offer career advice the next, or decode a cryptic text from a date.So the big question is: should we be using ChatGPT in this way? Is it a sign of democratized support and important self-reflection? Or is it troubling how comfortable we’ve become with outsourcing our most human struggles to a machine trained on the internet? Like most things with AI, I suspect the truth is somewhere in between.The benefits of asking ChatGPT for adviceLet’s start with the positives, because there are real ones. AI tools like ChatGPT are always available. They don’t judge, interrupt or charge $100 an hour. For people without access to mentors, therapists or career coaches, that kind of always-on advice can feel like a lifeline.When I looked into the rise of people using ChatGPT for therapy-style support earlier this year, accessibility was a consistent theme. It’s cheap, available 24/7, and crucially, private. You can ask it anything without fear of embarrassment or judgment.And the value isn’t just in “replacing” a therapist or coach. Sometimes it’s about having a space to think out loud. Want to explore a big move? Test out the idea of quitting your job? Wonder how others have handled long-distance relationships or an ADHD diagnosis? You can prompt, explore, and revise, and no one has to know.There’s also an unexpected upside when it comes to metacognition, which is the ability to reflect on your own thoughts. ChatGPT can help you do that by summarizing what you’ve said, asking clarifying questions, or suggesting different perspectives. For neurodivergent users, especially those with ADHD or anxiety, that kind of structured reflection can feel incredibly supportive. I’m starting to think that the real value here might not be that it gives you the answer, but that it helps you find your own.The risks of letting AI guide our livesBut this new way of making decisions also comes with some serious concerns.Firstly, algorithms aren’t wise. ChatGPT can mimic empathy, but it doesn’t feel it. It can sound measured, even thoughtful, but it has no intuition, gut instinc,t or lived experience. It can’t tell when you’re lying to yourself. It doesn’t know when the thing you didn’t say is the most important part.Then there’s the issue of bias. Large language models like ChatGPT are trained on massive datasets, which means they absorb the internet’s mess of assumptions, blind spots, and cultural biases.There’s also a clear accountability gap here. If a therapist gives you bad advice, they’re responsible. If a friend leads you astray, at least they care. But if ChatGPT nudges you towards a major life decision that doesn’t work out, then who do you blame?We already know generative AI can hallucinate, meaning it can make things up that are completely untrue or misleading. It also has a tendency to be overly optimistic and encouraging, which is helpful in some scenarios but not always what you need when you’re grappling with something serious.Psychologists have also raised concerns about replacing real relationships with AI-driven feedback loops. A chatbot might make you feel “seen” without truly understanding you. It might offer closure you haven’t earned. It might flatter your logic when what you actually need is someone to challenge it.And we can’t ignore the bigger picture. It’s in OpenAI’s best interest for people to use ChatGPT for everything, especially life advice and emotional support. That’s how it becomes indispensable. And with upgrades like advanced memory, the tool gets better the more it knows about you. But the more it knows, the harder it is to walk away.The trade-off we don’t always seeIt’s not enough to say using ChatGPT for life advice is either good or bad. That flattens a far more complex reality.Gen Z isn’t turning to AI because they don’t realize ChatGPT lacks lived experience or because they think it’s better than a therapist. I suspect most are doing it because the world feels unstable, overwhelming, and hard to navigate. In that context, a chatbot that’s always available, never tired, and oddly wise-sounding might feel safer than asking a parent, teacher, or boss.And this isn’t just a Gen Z trend. We’re living through a time when guidance is fragmented, authority is suspect, and certainty is scarce. Of course, people of all ages will increasingly reach for a tool that offers what feels like instant and convenient clarity.But what are we giving up when we do? I ask that because I’m not immune to this either. I write critically about AI. I regularly talk about its limits, the need for caution, and the risks of over-reliance. And yet I’ve asked ChatGPT questions I probably could have chatted about with someone I know. Did it give me a quicker answer? Maybe. A better one? Probably not. Did I miss an opportunity for real connection? Definitely.And that’s the deeper issue. It’s easy to criticize this trend from a place of privilege. If you have offline relationships, trusted friends, and a family you can call. But not everyone does. For many, AI is filling a gap left by broken systems, absent support, and rising feelings of loneliness and disconnection.Used thoughtfully, I do think ChatGPT can be a helpful companion. A way to untangle thoughts, explore perspectives, and even rehearse difficult conversations. That’s why I’d never tell people not to use it for these things. But I would urge them to ask: why am I turning to this now? What might I be avoiding? And who else could I talk to instead? Then again, what do I know? I’m just an elder millennial.You might also like5 ChatGPT prompts to inspire your creativitySam Altman's newest venture has built a robot to decide if you're humanOpenAI Operator is getting bigger brains to control the AI agent’s virtual hands