OpenAI has once again ignited a firestorm of controversy — this time, over ChatGPT’s new image-generation capability, which allows users to request Studio Ghibli-style artwork that looks, to the casual observer, indistinguishable from actual work created by the legendary Japanese animation studio.
Some users have embraced the feature, marveling at how easily they can generate stunning Ghibli-esque images. The backlash, however, has been quite severe, with artists and fans accusing OpenAI of profiting from stolen creativity.
The Internet reacts: ‘plagiarism program’
Social media has been flooded with outrage over what many see as blatant artistic theft. One viral tweet summed up the fury:
“OpenAI has stolen Studio Ghibli’s artwork & these morons are cheering and clapping for it as if this crap has actually achieved anything. They’re literally advertising a plagiarism program that hasn’t compensated nor sought permission from Studio Ghibli. F*** these people.”
Another critic on Twitter called out OpenAI’s leadership:
“The CEO of OpenAI openly brags about the Studio Ghibli AI slop that’s rendered this website basically unusable over the past few days. Just a complete disregard for intellectual property/copyright – he’s proud of how much theft they’ve accomplished!”
Users on Threads echoed the frustration, with one lamenting AI’s growing role in creative fields:
“I’m so tired of hearing about AI. It’s being pushed down our throats, and the latest ChatGPT image generator is just another example. AI has a use case to replace boring manual tasks like data entry or building slide decks. It will revolutionize medicine. It can do things faster than humans ever will. But why are we using it to replace creative work? Use AI to replace the boring, repetitive work, and let humans do what we do best – creating unique pieces of art.”
Can Studio Ghibli sue?
Unfortunately, for everyone demanding that Studio Ghibli take legal action, Japan has taken a notably lenient approach to AI and copyright. According to a report from DeepLearning.AI, Japan appears to be the only major country that has explicitly made it legal for AI models to train on copyrighted works. That means, even if OpenAI had trained its models on Ghibli images, they would have done nothing illegal under Japanese law.
When I asked it directly about the issue, ChatGPT itself provided a carefully worded response, stating that OpenAI has not explicitly confirmed whether it trained its AI models on Studio Ghibli images or other copyrighted works from Japan. However, it continued, given Japan’s relaxed stance on AI and copyright, it is legally possible that OpenAI or any AI developer could have used such materials for training.
Hayao Miyazaki saw this coming
Long before AI could generate Studio Ghibli-style art in seconds, legendary filmmaker and Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki made his feelings about AI-generated art clear. In a documentary, when told that computers would eventually be able to paint like humans, he responded:
“If they do that, we won’t need humans.”
Miyazaki didn’t mince words about his distaste for AI-generated creativity, adding:
“I fear the world’s end is near. Humans have lost confidence. Hand drawing’s the only answer.”
As OpenAI continues to push the boundaries of what AI-generated content can do, the debate over intellectual property, artistic integrity, and the role of AI in creative industries is only going to intensify. The question now is: If Studio Ghibli can’t stop this, who can?
