In late March, OpenAI – the artificial intelligence company behind ChatGPT – released a new free AI image generator. It was certainly not the first AI image generator to quickly gain popularity, yet there were certain properties that caused it to go “viral.” Most notably, the image generator can take an existing image – say, a photo of you or a well-known movie still – and turn it into an animated version based on your prompt. All of a sudden, the internet was flooded with animated images of famous movie scenes in the South Park style or family photos done like The Simpsons.
Yet, the most popular choice? Studio Ghibli. Social media was absolutely awash with AI imagery based on the iconic Japanese anime studio behind classics like My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. The trend went viral to such an extent that OpenAI registered over one million new users in one hour at its peak. That’s an incredible achievement. But while plenty of anime fans had fun, questions were soon raised in areas like copyright and how we treat the legacy of artists in the anime sector.
Studio Ghibli has some of the most precious intellectual property
Of course, anime isn’t just Studio Ghibli, and we can point to examples as broad as KyoAni films like A Silent Voice to anime slots like the super popular Starlight Princess 1000. Yet, Studio Ghibli is the most recognizable example, and it became the blueprint for so many AI images. Studio Ghibli’s content is obviously copyrighted, so questions are naturally asked on how the AI was able to train on them. Some content will be in the public domain, sure, but artists and studios are pursuing legal cases against AI companies over permission to train on their work.
Beyond copyright, what’s interesting to hear is the view of someone behind anime art. Who better than Hayao Miyazaki, founder of Studio Ghibli? In an interview conducted a few years ago, Miyazaki called AI “insulting,” also saying, “I am utterly disgusted….I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all.”.
Now, to be clear, Miyazaki wasn’t referring to the recent flood of AI Studio Ghibli images, and it is possible, though very unlikely, that he has changed his mind since the interview. Still, it is interesting to note that here is an artist, albeit one of immense influence, is seeing their work rendered in this way. It’s not as if these images represent a threat to the creative minds of anime studios or Studio Ghibli itself, yet the underlying technology does, and that is quite worrying for some artists.
Debate on how AI will shape art and artists
There continues to be a huge debate on how AI will shape art, and to what extent that artists should agree to work with AI, both in the sense of using AI as a tool and giving permission for AI to train on their work. Several creative industries, including the movie industry, has had protest movements. The Hollywood scriptwriters strikes of 2024 were partially down to studios wanting to use AI. Other sectors, from digital artists to novelists, have also joined protests and tried to lobby governments to act.
The internet tends to move on quickly from these viral moments. Indeed, no sooner than the flood of Studio Ghibli images receded did we see a new trend – AI-created action figures. It followed the same principles: uploading an image of someone, and the image generator would create an action figure or Barbie-like doll of that person. Thus, it mostly seems like a bit of fun. There are concerns about the environmental impact – some have claimed that making an image uses as much energy as fully charging a smartphone. It underlines a simple fact: there is more to this craze than meets the eye. It’s arguably up to the individual in how they feel about it.