In the midst of an endless doom scroll, you come across the expected — cat videos, crazy challenges and the occasional brain rot. Suddenly, something surprising appears on your feed. It’s your friend’s birthday photos, except they look more like scenes right out of a cartoon with a cute and expressive drawing style and vibrant color palette. Captivated, you scroll some more and come across photo after photo of pets, family portraits and selfies transformed into a dreamy, warm aesthetic.
This distinct style is characteristic of the Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli, which primarily hand-draws scenes using rich watercolor and acrylic paints to bring its films to life. ChatGPT has replicated this meticulous process to create Ghibli-style images in less than a minute. According to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, millions have uploaded their personal photos to ChatGPT, typed a short prompt asking the program to “Ghiblify” the image and posted their Ghiblified pictures on various social media platforms, eager not to get left behind on the newly emerging trend. However, in doing so, participants not only put their personal data at risk but also disrespect the work of Studio Ghibli and dismiss the hard work of its creators. It is crucial that we hit backspace on this trend and recognize the artists, not the AI.
In a 2016 interview for the documentary “NHK (The Japan Broadcasting Corporation) Special: Hayao Miyazaki — The One Who Never Ends,” Hayao Miyazaki, co-founder of Studio Ghibli, stated that AI-generated art is “an insult to life itself.” He also added, “I feel like we humans are losing faith in ourselves.” Miyazaki’s statement reminds us that art is an expression of humanity — in fact, art symbolizes humanity itself. Without feeling or a story woven into the carefully placed lines and meticulously crafted illustrations, is there really a point to art at all?
Additionally, creating art, especially at a professional level such as that of the Studio Ghibli team, takes years, if not decades, to learn and master. Miyazaki himself spent years working to create his distinct, pastel style with painterly backgrounds and expressionist characters. Comic Book Resources, a website that covers comics and pop culture, stated that one scene in a Ghibli film took about one year to animate. Encouraging the AI-generated Ghiblified photo trend is putting the jobs of the artists who have dedicated their lives to creating these beautiful, original works at risk.
Perhaps the most disappointing part of the Ghibli craze is that many participants don’t know what they are even partaking in. Many comments surfacing on social media platforms praise the false idea of AI recreating the style and were oblivious to the artform and company. A quick Google search could tell you that the Ghibli style is centered around celebrating nature. Ironically, asking AI to change one photo can consume as much energy as fully charging an average smartphone.
Beyond that, the trend raises cybersecurity concerns, especially about what is happening to users’ facial data. Managing director of Market Hubs Lierence Li shared, “When you upload photos to these platforms, they’re not just being processed for your immediate studio conversion — they’re being stored, analyzed, and incorporated into training datasets that improve the AI’s capabilities.” This begs the question, what else is this data being used for? If the data is sold to a third party or finds its way into the wrong hands, it could lead to identity theft.
If the thought of having a personal AI-generated Ghibli-style photo, which would probably be unattainable otherwise, is enticing, just think of the artists beyond the screen when clicking send to ChatGPT. By using AI, we are robbing the art form of authenticity and prestige for nothing more than a moment of validation of being on top of a new trend. And for those who don’t recognize the word “Ghibli” beyond the trend, take a moment to appreciate its history. If the copied versions seem appealing, imagine how much you’ll love the studio’s genuine films. Flip the craze from AI-generated Ghibli art to real Ghibli art and see all AI-generated art for what it truly is — an abomination to humanity.
Tvisha Jani can be reached at [email protected].
