ChatGPT’s latest AI image tool has thrilled Studio Ghibli fans by transforming personal photos and memes into the distinct style of Hayao Miyazaki. However, the trend has also sparked fresh concerns about AI’s use of copyrighted material and its implications for human artists.
Miyazaki, 84, renowned for his hand-drawn animation and storytelling, has long voiced skepticism about AI in animation. In a resurfaced 2016 documentary clip, he strongly criticized AI-generated movement, calling it “an insult to life itself.”
Among the users experimenting with ChatGPT’s tool is Janu Lingeswaran, a German entrepreneur who converted a photo of his ragdoll cat into a Ghibli-style image. “I really fell in love with the result,” he said, adding that he plans to print and display it. Other AI-generated Ghibli-style images circulating online include an anime version of Turkish Olympian Yusuf Dikec and a reinterpretation of the Disaster Girl meme.
Despite ongoing copyright lawsuits against OpenAI, the company has encouraged these AI-generated “Ghiblification” experiments. CEO Sam Altman even changed his social media profile picture to a Ghibli-style AI image. In a paper released Tuesday, OpenAI stated that its model avoids imitating the work of individual artists but defended broader stylistic recreations as “truly delightful and inspired original fan creations.”
Studio Ghibli has not commented on the trend. Its Japanese headquarters and North American distributor did not respond to requests for a statement.
Legal experts say the key issue is whether OpenAI trained its model on Ghibli’s work without permission. Copyright lawyer Josh Weigensberg noted that while artistic “style” is generally not protected, AI-generated images could still infringe on specific elements of Ghibli films. “If an AI-generated image closely resembles a frame from Spirited Away or Howl’s Moving Castle, that could be problematic,” he said.
Artist Karla Ortiz, who is suing AI companies for copyright infringement, accused OpenAI of exploiting Ghibli’s reputation. “They are using Ghibli’s branding to promote AI tools that undermine artists,” she said.
The debate escalated on Thursday when the White House posted a Ghibli-style AI image of a weeping Dominican woman arrested by U.S. immigration agents. Ortiz condemned the post as an example of AI distorting real-life struggles and called on Studio Ghibli to take legal action.
Source: With input from agency
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
