Ordóñez said he’ll likely use OpenAI’s 4o Image Generator to shape an idea and generate better prompts to use on Midjourney, but he’ll use the latter “to refine and elevate the craft, push the aesthetic, get specific.” 

Creatives shouldn’t be relying on just one tool to elevate their craft, he argued. 

“The true game changer isn’t one tool. It’s how we combine them to supercharge the creative process, move faster, think sharper, and visualize ideas with more clarity than ever before,” Ordóñez said. 

‘It’s not a killer of anything’

For Craig Elimeliah, chief creative officer of Code and Theory, OpenAI’s new image generator is more like a subtle “game shifter” rather than a game changer for the creative process—and the most notable shift is not just being able to generate a better quality image.

“The distance between an idea and a fully formed visual is now seconds, not days, and that changes the whole psychology of creativity. You can now think with your eyes,” Elimeliah explained.

He added that as creatives use more AI tools in their work, “we’re moving from creativity as craft to creativity as choreography.”

“You’re not just designing an image, you’re directing a system, shaping outcomes with words, taste, and intent,” he said. “Those people who will win here aren’t necessarily the best technicians; they’re the ones who know how to guide the machine toward something meaningful.”

The 4o Image Generator might make the creative process easier for those “who want to do it all in one place,” said James Dow, gen AI creative director at The Brandtech Group. However, Dow doesn’t envision using the tool to create final image. 

“It will be another fantastic tool in the box, but it’s not a killer of anything,” he said. “It’s impressive in a lot of ways, but it’s not going to reinvent any existing workflows for me yet.” 

Dow and others cautioned creatives against getting caught up in the hype around any new AI tool, especially because the technology is evolving so rapidly. 

Geert Eichhorn, executive innovation director at Monks, advised creatives to “approach your work in a tech agnostic way, so you don’t get locked in a model ecosystem that might be surpassed by next week.”