Apr 2, 2025

OpenAI's new tool has fanned an old debate: Do technology-assisted creative products undermine artistic legacy or democratise them? After users took to GPT-4o to mimic Studio Ghibli's carefully cultivated animation style in minutes the internet seems divided, writes Alokananda Chakraborty What is the Ghibli buzz all about? Over the past one week, social media has been overrun with AI generated art that mimics the signature animation style developed by Studio Ghibli, Inc. a Japanese studio based in Koganei, Tokyo. The social media art fest followed last Tuesday's roll-out of OpenAI's new tool GPT-4o, which has the ability to generate highly accurate visuals. Soon after OpenAI's update went live, users began tinkering with the image generator to test its capabilities. It didn't take long for them to figureout that the AI tool had this amazing ability to recreate Studio Ghibli's hand-drawn art style and before you knew it, social media — particularly X (formerly Twitter) — was flooded with Ghibli-style renditions of user selfies, everyday objects like cellphones and mugs, scary stuff like the September 2001 fall of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre in New York City, and even pictures of people with their pets. The endorsement was complete when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman changed his X profile picture to a Ghibli version of himself. So what is the problem with all this? First, ChatGPT experienced outages due to the massive surge in traffic with users trying to create Ghibli-esque images using the new image generation tool. As per DownDetector, a website that tracks outages, at least 229 users complained about OpenAI's service disruption. About 59% of users lodged complaints related specifically to ChatGPT. Second, the episode opened up a huge debate on the point of creativity, consent and artistic integrity. As critics point out, the AI model is unfairly trained on copyrighted material, and that ends up devaluing the creative product of artists. Many artistes have spoken out about concerns that AI tools might be exploiting their consciously developed styles without permission. Seen in that light the whole GPT-4o episode appears ethically complicated. A lesser concern is that sensitive subjects had been reduced to cozy art. Some critics lament that users are using the AI tool to trivialise historical tragedies, such as the 9/11 attacks or the Babri Masjid demolition. What makes GPT-4o stand out? OpenAI's flagship multimodal, AI modal, GPT-4o, was first introduced in mid-2024. It can understand and generate text, images and audio in an integrated way. This is a big improve-ment from previous systems (like the DALL-E 3) because GPT-4o can handle more complex, conversational image requests with great accuracy. While it has the ability to accurately translate imaginative prompts into art, GPT-4o is also capable of mimicking distinct art styles with great fidelity. The frenzy erupted when on March 26, OpenAI began to roll out GPT-4o for free to ChatGPT Plus and Team users. On April 1, OpenAI chief Sam Altman announced that the feature has been extended to all free-tier accounts. And amidst the buzz, OpenAI closed a $40 billion funding round at a valuation of $300 billion. Data privacy concerns Proton, a Swiss firm offering privacy-focused online services, has flagged three security concerns. First, once shared, you have no control over how your image may may be used; online malicious actors can use them for defamation or harassment. Second, AI models could train on your photos without consent. And third, your data could be sold or used for targeted ads. Elle Farrell-Kingsley, an AI ethics advocate, put down her concerns via X: Sharing images or thoughts with AI tools can reveal metadata, location details, and other sensitive information. “If it's free, you (& your data) are the price,” she said. What is Studio Ghibli? Founded in 1985 by directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata and producer Toshio , Studio Ghibli has a strong presence in the animation industry and has expanded over time into feature films, television films and commercials. It has produced about two dozen feature films spanning animation, fantasy, and coming-of-age themes. Some of its most critically acclaimed and financially successful films include Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro and Princess Mononoke. Miyazaki won his first Oscar in 2003 for Spirited Away, making it the first non-English animated film to win the title. The film went on to become Japan's highest grossing movie of all time and held the record for close to two decades. He won his second Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for the semi-autobiographical film The Boy and the Heron in 2024. In 2024, the studio received an honorary Palme d'Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, the first film production company to receive the award. What has been its reaction? While there has been no reaction from Studio Ghilbi yet, co-founder Hayao Miyazaki has been a vocal critic of AI-generated art and has even rejected the idea of incorporating such technology into his own work. In the wake of the current controversy, an old interview of Miyazaki has surfaced on social media where he describes AI animation as “an insult to life itself”.