ChatGPT’s Ghibli-Style Images Spark AI Copyright Debate
- tech360.tv
- Mar 29
- 2 min read
A new image generator from ChatGPT has gone viral for transforming photos and memes into the iconic animation style of Studio Ghibli, raising fresh concerns over AI and copyright.
The tool, released by OpenAI, allows users to create anime-style images reminiscent of the works of Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki, known for films like “Spirited Away” and “My Neighbor Totoro.”
While fans have embraced the trend, legal and ethical questions have emerged about whether AI models are being trained on copyrighted material without permission.
OpenAI said in a technical paper that it uses a “conservative approach” to mimic artist aesthetics and blocks attempts to generate images in the style of living artists. However, it allows broader studio styles, which users have used to create Ghibli-style fan art.
Studio Ghibli has not commented on the trend.
Entrepreneur Janu Lingeswaran, based near Aachen, Germany, used the tool to turn a photo of his cat into a Ghibli-style image. “We’re thinking of printing it out and hanging it on the wall,” he said.
Other viral examples include a Ghibli-style version of the “Disaster Girl” meme and Turkish Olympic shooter Yusuf Dikec.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman even changed his social media profile picture to a Ghibli-style portrait.
Miyazaki, 84, has long expressed scepticism about AI in animation. In a 2016 documentary, he criticised an AI demo showing grotesque movements, calling it “an insult to life itself.”
Legal experts say the issue hinges on whether OpenAI had permission to train its model on Ghibli’s work.
Josh Weigensberg, a partner at law firm Pryor Cashman, said that while “style” is generally not copyrightable, specific elements from films like “Howl’s Moving Castle” or “Spirited Away” could be.
Artist Karla Ortiz, who is suing other AI image generators for copyright infringement, criticised OpenAI for using Ghibli’s reputation to promote its tools.
Ortiz also condemned the White House for posting a Ghibli-style image of a weeping woman arrested by U.S. immigration agents, calling it “exploitation.”
She said she hopes Studio Ghibli takes legal action against OpenAI.
ChatGPT’s image tool creates viral Ghibli-style art, sparking copyright concerns
OpenAI says it blocks mimicry of living artists but allows studio styles
Studio Ghibli has not responded to the trend
Source: AP NEWS