With millions of users turning their images into animated visuals evoking the works of renowned Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, the Ghibli-style AI art fad has swept social media by storm. Well-known people like Elon Musk, Amitabh Bachchan, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have joined the trend, increasing its appeal. But the viral trend has also spurred discussions regarding ethical AI-generated art use and copyright violation, especially with regard to systems trained on copyrighted creative works. Although opinions on the trend are still divided, one question still stands: who initiated it all?
The Man Behind the Trend
Grant Slatton, a software developer from Seattle, is recognized for having popularized the Ghibli-inspired AI art movement. Slatton shared an AI-generated image of his family and dog at the beach on X (previously Twitter) on Tuesday, just after OpenAI unveiled its updated image-generation tools. “Amazing alpha right now in sending your wife photos of y’all converted to Studio Ghibli anime,” he captioned the shot.
Although AI-generated anime-style graphics have been around for a while, Slatton’s piece appears to have been the catalyst for the recent surge in interest. His tweet quickly became popular, receiving around 49 million views and more than 45,000 likes. Social media users started posting their own “Ghiblified” images, and the practice quickly grew into a worldwide sensation.
A Wave of Positive Responses
Slatton told Business Insider that he has received a ton of messages from people who share their photos that have been altered. He declared, “It’s the most net-positive day I’ve ever seen on Twitter.”
He added that the most recent developments in OpenAI have greatly simplified the procedure. With straightforward commands like “convert to Studio Ghibli please,” the new model produces excellent anime-style visuals, in contrast to earlier iterations that needed specific cues. Even some detractors of AI-generated art have joined the bandwagon, despite worries about how AI may affect human creativity. Several requests were “heartwarming,” Slatton said, adding that he had manually processed more than 100 photos for customers who couldn’t utilize the service.
The Ongoing Debate
Discussions on AI-generated art are still contentious, despite the trend’s continued popularity on social media. Concerns about the ethical implications of AI tools trained on preexisting works have been raised by fans of Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki regarding the usage of AI to replicate their unique artistic styles. As the argument continues, millions of people are embracing the newest digital phenomenon, and the Ghibli-style AI art craze is showing no signs of slowing down. The AI-generated anime-style trend is here to stay, regardless of whether it is seen as a revolutionary development or a divisive topic.
What Is The Studio Ghibli AI Trend?
Users soon discovered that OpenAI could produce high-quality photographs with comparatively unconstrained copyright filtering after the company unveiled a new image generator.
Although they are less common, wonky fingers and strange backdrop elements still exist, making it more difficult to tell AI photographs apart from the actual thing.
Users tried a variety of cartoon series, including The Simpsons, Rick and Morty, and South Park, but Studio Ghibli was the most well-liked and trended on X (Twitter). Even while Studio Ghibli is known for its dark and tumultuous films, the animation studio is also well-known for its serene, reflective sequences in which painstakingly crafted figures merely gaze at the hand-drawn landscape.
As a result, the studio’s name is frequently linked to warm, positive emotions.
The Trend Goes Against The Ethos Of Studio Ghibli
Fans of Studio Ghibli were surprised by the trend because it goes against the company’s and co-founder Hayao Miyazaki’s values to employ AI picture generators to mimic an artist’s distinctive style.
The trend, according to many analysts, was in bad taste and devalued the meticulously developed aesthetics of an animation company that is renowned for its commitment to the craft. Oscar winner Miyazaki has made his opinions about generative AI quite apparent. He is the director of several of Ghibli’s most famous films, including Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, and The Boy and the Heron. Miyazaki was shown an AI-generated animation years before generative AI took over the internet. He denounced it, stating, “I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself.”
Miyazaki stops talking when the programmers explain that their goal is to build a machine that can draw like a human.
Later, as he works, the director is seen reflecting on the new technology, stating, “I feel like we are nearing the end times.” Humans are becoming less confident in themselves. The irony of employing generative AI, a horribly energy-intensive technology, to mimic the studio’s style was pointed out by numerous reviewers. Many Studio Ghibli films emphasize the value of living in peace with nature and portray the grandeur of nature. The Ghibli trend’s novelty will probably fade shortly because it’s just another filter.
However, the Ghibli picture flood demonstrates how generative AI is making art more and more disposable.
A privacy nightmare in disguise, experts warn
Although the viral trend of employing AI technologies to turn personal images into Studio Ghibli-style art has captured the attention of netizens, experts caution that the trend hides a darker reality where careless sharing might result in unexpected privacy breaches and data exploitation.
Although these programs can seem innocuous, cybersecurity experts warn that their terms of service are sometimes ambiguous, creating concerns about what happens to user photos once they are processed.
When OpenAI introduced the GPT-4o model, which enables users to make their own images in the aesthetic manner of the Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli, the movement got underway.
A small percentage of the numerous platforms claim that they either do not save the images or remove them after a single use.
There is more than just face information in photos. They frequently contain secret metadata that might subtly reveal personal information, such as timestamps, location coordinates, and device specifications. According to Vishal Salvi, CEO of Quick Heal Technologies, these AI technologies make use of neural style transfer (NST) algorithms.
Human And AI Collaborations Will Soar
People will become more accustomed to using AI in every part of their lives. Collaborations in the arts will have a branded, intentional feel.
For instance, Kalmyk Technelegy, a “AI alter ego” developed by American poet Sasha Stiles, blends verbal, visual, and performance arts. As she uses different AI tools, she represents a “transhuman poet,” which she characterizes as a sort of third entity. Among others, Art Basel, Gucci, and MoMA have all showcased her work. This artist-AI combination will progressively emerge as a distinct category, and in fact, as Stiles puts it, a third entity. Expect more artists to follow Stiles’ example in 2025.
Ethics And Legal Battles Will Grow
Legal disputes involving AI models trained on intellectual property will become more frequent. A significant battle is underway: the Getty Images case, which alleges intellectual property rights infringement and seeks $1.7 billion in damages from Stability AI. According to Getty Images, one of the biggest photo agencies in the world, Stability AI has utilized over 12 million images from its library. According to Growth Stack Media CEO Jordan Mitchell, “the ripple effects extend beyond visual arts.” “Recent investigations found that roughly 139,000 screenplays from movies and television shows, including ones created by large tech companies, were used to train AI models without permission.”
One potential remedy is blockchain technology, which Mitchell stated might produce “immutable records and provide the transparency needed in an AI-dominated creative landscape” as NFTs can prove ownership of digital creations.