The short answer

OpenAI has shipped two named updates that business users are likely to notice. On November 4, 2026, it introduced Images 2.6 in ChatGPT, Codex, and the API, including the ability to create GIFs and, according to OpenAI, image generation that is 50 percent faster than before. Separately, OpenAI introduced GPT-6.1 Terra as a faster, lower-priced model for visual reasoning and computer-use work in ChatGPT Work, Codex, and the API. These are product changes, not a reason to rip up an AI plan. Download official apps only from OpenAI, and treat benchmark and volume figures as OpenAI's own claims.

What Images 2.6 adds

OpenAI's November 4, 2026 post, "Introducing Images 2.6," says the model is available in ChatGPT, Codex, and the API. The headline features are speed, more control over editing rounds, and motion: you can "bring motion to your images with GIFs," including animating a brand mascot or turning a product shot into a loop. OpenAI also says users can keep characters, products, and brand details more consistent as they edit.

OpenAI wrote that people now create 4 billion images per week across ChatGPT, Codex, and the API, which it described as more than half a billion images a day. The Verge, covering the same release on November 4, 2026, reported that figure as a jump from the 3 billion per week OpenAI had reported in September. Those are company-reported totals, not an independent audit.

OpenAI said Images 2.6 generates images 50 percent faster than before. In the API it offers two options: GPT-Image-2.6 Flare and GPT-Image-2.6 Sunburst. When quality is set to low, OpenAI said Flare can generate images in as little as six seconds. Sunburst is presented as the higher-quality option for greater detail and consistency when quality is set to medium or high. OpenAI also said Flare improves layout quality for posters, product imagery, and other professional visuals.

The Verge reported that ChatGPT can now create a GIF from a prompt or from a photo uploaded to the chatbot, and that users can adjust animation speed, edit individual frames, and share the result. The Verge noted that ChatGPT could not natively generate GIFs in a single step before this change. OpenAI said Images 2.6 is available globally in ChatGPT and Codex across all subscription tiers on desktop, mobile, and web, with Flare and Sunburst available in the API.

OpenAI also described API extras that matter more to teams than to casual users: image markup, already available in ChatGPT, coming to the API; SVG exports; a complexity parameter that controls how much planning the model does; and separate image-quality controls. OpenAI said that for most editing tasks it recommends low complexity for faster edits, paired with the quality the workflow requires.

What GPT-6.1 Terra is

OpenAI's "Introducing GPT-6.1 Terra" page presents Terra as a fast, efficient model that combines detailed visual reasoning and precise computer use with clearer writing. OpenAI says it is a step up from GPT-5.6 Terra for everyday computer-based tasks such as drafting proposals, interpreting technical drawings, filling out forms, and editing videos.

According to OpenAI, standard API prices for GPT-6.1 Terra are 50 percent lower than those of GPT-5.6 Terra and GPT-6.1 Sol. The published standard API prices are $1 per million input tokens, $0.05 per million cached input tokens, and $5 per million output tokens. OpenAI named the API model gpt-6.1-terra.

Availability, as OpenAI describes it, starts with Plus, Pro, Enterprise, and Edu users in ChatGPT Work and Codex, plus API access for developers. OpenAI says the same usage allowance in ChatGPT Work and Codex covers more tasks with GPT-6.1 Terra than with GPT-5.6 Terra, and substantially more than with GPT-6.1 Sol or GPT-6 Astra. OpenAI presents GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol as higher-capability options for the most complex coding work.

OpenAI published its own benchmark comparisons, including computer-use, visual reasoning, coding, and an internal factuality test. Those figures come from OpenAI. We are not repeating them all here, and we are not treating them as independent measurements. If a number would change a buying decision, read the original page and the linked system card rather than a recap.

On safety, OpenAI said GPT-6.1 Terra meets the Critical threshold in cybersecurity under its Preparedness Framework and maintains protections developed for GPT-6 Astra. OpenAI also said its evaluations found Terra more likely than GPT-5.6 Terra to stay in scope and disclose limitations, and that prompt-injection tests showed strong resistance to malicious instructions. Those are OpenAI's evaluations.

What to do

  1. Treat this as a product update, not a strategy. Faster image generation and a cheaper computer-use model can help a marketing or operations team. They do not replace an inventory of where staff already paste client data, which tools are approved, or what "done" looks like for a workflow.
  2. If you use ChatGPT at work, look at the official surfaces. Images 2.6 is in ChatGPT and Codex on desktop, mobile, and web, per OpenAI. GPT-6.1 Terra is described for ChatGPT Work, Codex, and the API. Confirm what your plan actually includes before you promise a new capability to a client.
  3. Download apps only from the vendor. Check Point Research has described a malware campaign that used fake GitHub projects and names such as GPT-6 Astra, GPT-5.6 Sol, and Claude Opus to lure people searching for new AI apps. A signed OpenAI or Anthropic file inside a ZIP is not the same thing as an official download page. See our article on AI security, fake AI apps, and the EU AI Act.
  4. If you generate customer-facing images or GIFs, keep a review step. OpenAI says Images 2.6 is faster and better at consistency. That is not a substitute for checking likenesses, claims, and brand details before something is published.
  5. For API teams, read OpenAI's pricing and system card rather than a summary. Terra's published token prices and Images 2.6 Flare/Sunburst options are specific enough that a recap can drift. Use the official pages when you set internal cost estimates.

Why this matters for NTx clients

Named model updates arrive faster than most small and mid-size teams can track. Staff will hear "GPT-6" or see a new GIF button in ChatGPT and ask whether the firm should switch everything. The useful question is not "which name is newest." It is which work you want a model to do, what data it will see, and whether the official product actually supports that work on the plan you pay for.

That mapping is the point of an AI Readiness Consultation. We help established firms put tool changes in context rather than chasing every release note.

FAQ

Can ChatGPT make GIFs now?

Yes, according to OpenAI and The Verge. OpenAI said Images 2.6 lets people add motion with GIFs in ChatGPT, Codex, and the API. The Verge reported that you can start from a prompt or an uploaded photo and adjust speed and individual frames. OpenAI said ChatGPT could not do this as a native one-step feature before the update.

Is Images 2.6 available on every ChatGPT plan?

OpenAI said Images 2.6 is available globally in ChatGPT and Codex across all subscription tiers on desktop, mobile, and web. GPT-Image-2.6 Flare and Sunburst are the API options.

What is GPT-6.1 Terra?

OpenAI describes GPT-6.1 Terra as a fast, efficient model for visual reasoning and computer-use tasks, with clearer writing than its GPT-5.6 Terra predecessor. OpenAI said it is available to Plus, Pro, Enterprise, and Edu users in ChatGPT Work and Codex, and to developers in the API as gpt-6.1-terra.

How much does the Terra API cost?

OpenAI published standard API pricing of $1 per million input tokens, $0.05 per million cached input tokens, and $5 per million output tokens. OpenAI also said those standard prices are 50 percent lower than GPT-5.6 Terra and GPT-6.1 Sol. Confirm current prices on OpenAI's page before you budget around them.

Should we download a GPT-6 desktop app from Google or GitHub?

No. Use OpenAI's official product surfaces. Check Point Research has documented fake GitHub projects that used names such as GPT-6 Astra and GPT-5.6 Sol to distribute malware next to legitimate signed installers.

Sources

  1. OpenAI, "Introducing Images 2.6," November 4, 2026. https://openai.com/index/introducing-images-2-6
  2. Emma Roth, "ChatGPT will now make you animated GIFs," The Verge, November 4, 2026. https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/1026474/openai-chatgpt-animated-gifs-images-2-6
  3. OpenAI, "Introducing GPT-6.1 Terra." https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-6-1-terra
  4. Eli Smadja, "Yoba Malware Abuses Signed ChatGPT and Claude Binaries to Target AI Users," Check Point, October 27, 2026. https://blog.checkpoint.com/research/yoba-malware-abuses-signed-chatgpt-and-claude-binaries-to-target-ai-users/