On Tuesday, OpenAI launched a new image generation feature in ChatGPT. According to the AI company, it is its most advanced visual model yet that it has integrated into GPT-4o. OpenAI says that the feature is a native multimodal model, which is capable of “precise, accurate, photorealistic outputs”. When users set out to play with the feature –– which is available for ChatGPT free, paid, plus and team subscribers –– they found that it is quite good at doing one thing: generating a soft, dreamlike aesthetic that looks straight out of Studio Ghibli films. Soon enough, Ghibli-fied versions of people’s profile pictures, their holiday pictures and historical moments, started to trend on the internet, especially X. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and X CEO Elon Musk also participated in the trend.
This trend has brought people on the internet together, spreading joy online. However, it also reminds us of an old clip of Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki, who spoke about AI art models with deep discomfort and resistance, calling them “disgusting.”
There is a video that has been circulating on Instagram for a few months now. While it’s not particularly about AI image generation tools, Miyazaki is basically reacting to a pitch about his team wanting to create a machine that would be capable of creating images just like humans do. We want to build a “machine that can draw pictures like humans do”.
“I can’t watch this stuff and find it interesting. Whoever creates this stuff has no idea what pain is or whatsoever. I am utterly disgusted. If you really want to make creepy stuff, you can go ahead and make it. I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all. I strongly feel this is an insult to life itself”, he said. “I feel like we are nearing the end of times,” he added. “We humans are losing faith in ourselves”.
The irony here is almost poetic – AI-generated images, praised for their Studio Ghibli-like charm, are flooding the internet, while the very man behind Ghibli’s timeless aesthetic, condemns using technology for creating art an “insult to life itself.” Miyazaki is known to infuse his work with deep human emotion. It’s hard to ignore the stark contrast between this viral enthusiasm and Miyazaki’s visceral rejection of the technology.
Studio Ghibli is a renowned Japanese animation studio founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki. It is famous for its beautifully hand-drawn animation, rich storytelling, and deeply emotional themes. The studio has created iconic films like My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Princess Mononoke, which blend fantasy, folklore, and environmental messages. Known for its meticulous craftsmanship and memorable characters, Studio Ghibli’s films often explore human connection, nature, and personal growth. Spirited Away even won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
It’s a reminder that even as AI tries to mimic human creativity, the philosophical divide between artificial and organic artistry remains as wide as ever. This emotion is echoed in a recent petition that was filed by over 400 Hollywood artists against OpenAI and Google for using their work to train their AI models. This letter, which was sent last week to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, challenges a recent proposal from major tech companies, which argues that US copyright law should permit AI firms to train their systems on copyrighted content without requiring permission or compensation for rights holders.
