OpenAI winds down AI image generator that blew minds and forged friendships in 2022

When OpenAI's DALL-E 2 debuted on April 6, 2022, the idea that a computer could create relatively photorealistic images on demand based on just text descriptions caught a lot of people off guard.

But for a tight-knit group of artists and tech enthusiasts who were there at the start of DALL-E 2, the service's sunset marks the bittersweet end of a period where AI technology briefly felt like a magical portal to boundless creativity.

Despite these precursors, DALL-E 2 arguably marked the mainstream breakout point for text-to-image generation, allowing each user to type a description of what they wanted to see and have a matching image appear before their eyes.

Advertisement When OpenAI first announced DALL-E 2 in April 2022, certain corners of Twitter quickly filled with examples of surrealistic artworks it generated, such as teddy bears as mad scientists and astronauts on horseback.

An AI-generated image of "Teddy bears mixing sparkling chemicals as mad scientists” in the style of steampunk, a 1990s Saturday morning cartoon, and digital art" created by OpenAI and released on April 6, 2022.

When OpenAI began handing out those beta testing invitations, a common bond quickly spawned a small community of artists who felt like pioneers exploring the new technology together.