By Cindy Yin
Japanese animation legend and founder of Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki, once described artificial intelligence animation as “an insult to life itself”. But almost 10 years later, the internet is now flooded with a tsunami of AI-generated images regurgitating his exact art style.
A newly released image tool on ChatGPT which allows anyone to generate visuals in different artistic styles has set ablaze a social media trend which has seen thousands of people create AI-generated memes and personal portraits in the art style of Studio Ghibli. The Japanese studio is one of the most notable animation houses worldwide, responsible for producing Oscar-winning films Spirited Away and The Boy and the Heron. Several of its films will feature in a free outdoor Studio Ghibli film festival at Fed Square during the school holidays.
A scene from Hayao Miyazaki’s 2023 film The Boy And The Heron, which won awards at the Oscars, BAFTAs and the Golden Globes.Credit: AP
However, the trend has since been met with backlash, and has sparked broader discussions about the ethical concerns of AI-generated art in an era increasingly shaped by algorithms. Can AI truly capture the depth and soul of art created by humans, or is there perhaps something profoundly unsettling about this new trend?
What is this trend, and how did it blow up?
Within hours of OpenAI rolling out its new image-generation features on Tuesday, users began to upload personal photos of themselves in Ghibli’s animated style, which popularised the trend and helped it gain momentum online.
One of the earliest posts that gained traction was of a man who shared a “Ghiblified” photo of himself, his wife and dog at the beach – it has since garnered more than 45 million views and almost 45,000 likes.
More notably, the official US White House account on X also tapped into this trend on Friday, posting an AI-generated image of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer arresting the woman in the illustration, Virginia Basora-Gonzalez, for allegedly dealing fentanyl. The post has sparked outrage for its perceived insensitivity.
What has been the impact so far?
The far-reaching nature of this trend and the sheer numbers of those who hopped onto this bandwagon have led to so much demand that it has caused ChatGPT’s computer chips, which generate the images, to almost stop working.
Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI and the creator of ChatGPT, said in a post on X soon after the trend gained momentum that “our GPUs are melting”. He has since announced the introduction of upload restrictions to limit the number of times users can access the service.
But the barrage of “Ghiblified” AI image requests seemed to balloon further, which Altman addressed in a post two days later: “Can yall [sic] please chill on generating images this is insane our team needs sleep.”
Why is it problematic?
Miyazaki, known for his hand-drawn approach to animation, has previously expressed strong disdain towards AI-generated art.
When he was shown a demonstration of an AI animation model in 2016, Miyazaki said in response: “I am utterly disgusted. If you really want to make creepy stuff, you can go ahead and do it. I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all.
“I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself.”
Hayao Miyazaki is no fan of AI-generated art. Credit: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Miyazaki is famously known for drawing thousands of frames in each film by hand – he has always believed that animation should be grounded in traditional hand-drawn techniques which lend Studio Ghibli films their intricate qualities, attention to detail and expressive animations.
“I believe that the tool of an animator is the pencil,” he told The New York Times in an interview in 2021.
And when he has enlisted the help of computer-generated imagery (CGI), it is used mostly sparingly in films such as Princess Mononoke. This sets Ghibli films apart from mainstream animation’s labour- and time-saving preferences.
Beyond Miyazaki’s personal stance on AI, there have also been public critiques over numerous ethical and copyright concerns, as AI models such as ChatGPT train and use existing art without consent from the original artists.
AI is also energy- and water-intensive and requires immense amounts of power to keep its data centres afloat, which places more pressure on energy grids and accelerates infrastructure challenges.
Fed Square hosts the free event Studio Ghibli Afternoons from April 14 to 17.
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