It usually takes only a few seconds for ChatGPT to generate an answer, but the exact time depends on what you’re asking it to do and how busy the servers are.

How long does it usually take?

For normal text replies (like chat responses):

  • Simple questions: often 1–3 seconds before words start appearing.
  • Medium answers (a few paragraphs): typically 3–10 seconds to finish.
  • Long, complex answers (multi‑section, code, analysis): can take 10–30+ seconds, sometimes longer if the response is very detailed or the system is under heavy load.

For image or “anime-style” content via image tools connected to ChatGPT:

  • Many real‑world tests show that AI image generation usually lands in the “several seconds to tens of seconds” range, depending on size, quality, and traffic.
  • Higher‑resolution or “high fidelity” image requests can easily jump into the “tens of seconds” range.
  • Some creators who use ChatGPT plus third‑party video or animation tools to make anime‑style clips report that short AI‑assisted scenes (20–30 seconds of video) can be drafted in roughly 10 minutes of tool processing plus editing time.

So if your question is: “How long until I see something start to come out?” — usually a few seconds. If it’s: “How long until I have a finished anime‑like clip?” — expect minutes of AI generation plus your own editing.

What makes ChatGPT slower or faster?

Main factors that affect response time:

  • Prompt complexity
    Long, detailed, or multi‑part prompts take longer to process. Image prompts with lots of elements (many characters, objects, actions) also increase generation time.
  • Output length and quality
    Asking for a huge essay, multi‑step analysis, or high‑resolution images takes longer than a short reply or small draft image.
  • Server load and rate limits
    When many people are using the system at once, or if you’re sending lots of requests in a short time, you may see delays or timeouts.
  • Model and settings
    Different models and image backends have different average latencies. Using lower resolution or “draft/low quality” modes is noticeably faster than high‑quality outputs.

How to make ChatGPT generate faster

You can often shave seconds off your waits with a few habits:

  1. Keep prompts tight and clear
    • Avoid long stacks of redundant adjectives.
    • For images, concise descriptions like “vibrant sunset over ocean” tend to be both faster and just as good as “beautiful, stunning, amazing sunset with gorgeous colors.”
  1. Ask for less in one go
    • Break giant tasks into smaller steps: outline first, then expand section by section.
    • For image or anime workflows, generate simple draft frames/clips first, refine only the ones you like.
  1. Use smaller / draft settings where available
    • Lower image resolution (for example, 512×512 instead of very large sizes) can significantly cut generation time.
 * Use “draft” or lower‑quality modes first and upscale or refine afterward.
  1. Avoid overly abstract or overloaded scenes
    • Requests with too many characters, actions, and style constraints often slow down or fail.
    • Splitting a complex anime scene into multiple simpler shots is usually faster and easier to control.

In the context of “anime”

If your truncated query “how long does it take chatgpt to generate ani…” refers to anime :

  • ChatGPT itself mainly handles story, dialogue, prompts, and planning.
  • The actual anime‑style visuals are usually generated by external image/video tools, which:
    • Take seconds to tens of seconds per image.
* Can assemble short scenes or clips in minutes, especially when tutorials combine ChatGPT with animation tools and editors like CapCut or Filmora.

So, end‑to‑end, using ChatGPT plus AI animation tools, getting a short anime‑style clip typically takes minutes , not hours, once you know your workflow.

TL;DR:

  • Text answers: a few seconds for simple replies, up to tens of seconds for long/complex ones.
  • Images/anime frames: usually several seconds to tens of seconds, longer for high‑quality or complex scenes.