Is OpenAI’s Studio Ghibli-style AI image generator undermining copyright law? Premium

While most people initially used ChatGPT’s new image update to transform themselves or family portraits into adorable, Studio Ghibli-inspired images, others ventured into darker territory.

Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki’s anime fantasy films have enthralled generations of children both within Japan and internationally. These movies instilled in countless viewers a lifelong opposition to war, militarisation, and all forms of violence, regardless of their political affiliation. Across Studio Ghibli films like Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Castle in the Sky, soldiers are portrayed as misled fighters at best and sexual predators at worst.

This is why there was widespread shock when the official Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) account on X shared images reminiscent of Studio Ghibli’s style.

The IDF’s collage was prompted by OpenAI’s late March update to the GPT4o model. This update enabled users to simply type text prompts into ChatGPT to generate images imitating Studio Ghibli’s iconic animation style.

While most people initially used ChatGPT’s new image update to transform themselves or their family portraits into adorable, Studio Ghibli-inspired images, others ventured further. They created anime stills from photos of the 9/11 terror attacks and the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Users shared Studio Ghibli-style pornography, “Ghibli-fied” stills from Bollywood films, and even a short video clip reimagining Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar as a Studio Ghibli film. What’s more, the irony of Nolan’s Oppenheimer being turned into a Studio Ghibli-style image was lost on far too many.

One AI anime image that gained widespread attention in India depicted the destruction of the historic Babri Masjid in 1992 by Hindutva rioters. This image, rendered in a distorted Studio Ghibli style, featured anime figures waving flags atop the mosque’s dome, cheering in celebration.

Another viral image was shared by the US White House. This picture, in a childish anime style, mocked a foreign citizen accused of drug trafficking who was visibly distraught as she was taken into custody.

The IDF account on X also joined the trend, sharing anime images of soldiers using communication devices and flying planes.