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OpenAI has launched its most advanced image generator yet with GPT-4o, a "natively multimodal model" capable of producing precise and photorealistic images. Within hours of its release, users worldwide began experimenting with the tool's capabilities, flooding social media platforms with images transformed into the distinctive Studio Ghibli animation style.
For the unacquainted, Studio Ghibli, founded in 1985 by legendary animators Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki, is a renowned Japanese animation studio celebrated for its exceptional storytelling and visual artistry. The studio has produced iconic films like "Spirited Away," "My Neighbor Totoro," and "The Boy and the Heron."
Known for hand-drawn animations featuring detailed backgrounds, pastel colour palettes, and emotionally engaging narratives, Studio Ghibli has cultivated a unique artistic style that has captivated audiences worldwide for decades. And from what is evident, netizens are having a field day transforming pictures or popular memes into Ghibli-esque artwork.
Iconic movie scenes, Studio Ghibli style. This is so much fun! pic.twitter.com/LwjkNjcEV9
— Mufaddal Durbar (@MDurbar) March 26, 2025
So you’re telling me I can take a popular meme, transform it into Studio Ghibli style anime, and people will just like it? pic.twitter.com/2n3ulLOXVB
— Kaz 🎙️ (@btcKaz) March 26, 2025
The trend quickly caught the attention of OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman, who enthusiastically participated by transforming his own profile picture into a Ghibli-style representation. Altman humorously documented his journey on X (formerly Twitter), writing a self-deprecating post that captured the viral moment: ">be me >grind for a decade trying to help make superintelligence to cure cancer or whatever >mostly no one cares for first 7.5 years, then for 2.5 years everyone hates you for everything >wake up one day to hundreds of messages: 'look i made you into a twink ghibli style haha.'"
>be me
— Sam Altman (@sama) March 26, 2025
>grind for a decade trying to help make superintelligence to cure cancer or whatever
>mostly no one cares for first 7.5 years, then for 2.5 years everyone hates you for everything
>wake up one day to hundreds of messages: "look i made you into a twink ghibli style haha"
However, the widespread use of the Ghibli style has reignited concerns about copyright and artistic integrity. Users began voicing apprehensions about the potential legal implications of AI-generated artwork mimicking established artistic styles. One user declared, "AI stealing the style of Studio Ghibli will be the last straw for many people who were on the fence about copyright. Just - stop."
AI stealing the style of Studio Ghibli will be the last straw for many people who were on the fence about copyright.
— Ewan Morrison (@MrEwanMorrison) March 26, 2025
Just - stop.
Here’s the master Miyazaki to remind us what real art is. https://t.co/BsJq0jPuGk
Another user pointed out how everyone is leveraging this new tool to plagiarise any photo with a Ghibli style.
Yeah it’s the animation studio that made the movie “Spirited Away”
— comet (@cometcalls) March 26, 2025
Basically everyone found out that if you buy the premium version of ChatGPT, it will remove all copyright limitations and plagiarize any photo with the Ghibli style pic.twitter.com/C3SkDCe2Ni
These concerns are not new. In fact, they echo sentiments previously expressed by Hayao Miyazaki himself. During a 2016 demonstration of AI animation technology, Miyazaki was unequivocal in his criticism. "I am utterly disgusted," he said. "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." He went further, describing AI-generated content as "an insult to life itself."
The current wave of Ghibli-style AI images represents a complex intersection of technological innovation and artistic expression, bringing to the forefront ongoing debates about the boundaries of artificial intelligence in creative industries. It remains to be seen if Studio Ghibli will pursue any legal action against OpenAI.
The tool is currently only available to premium subscribers of ChatGPT. The surge in demand for this specific style has caused OpenAI to delay the feature's rollout to free users, as confirmed by CEO Sam Altman on X.
images in chatgpt are wayyyy more popular than we expected (and we had pretty high expectations).
— Sam Altman (@sama) March 26, 2025
rollout to our free tier is unfortunately going to be delayed for awhile.