Tamil Nadu police warn of potential risks in generating Ghibli art online

Tamil Nadu police warn of risks in generating Ghibli AI Art from selfies, cautioning against potential cyber crimes.

The Tamil Nadu police have warned people of the potential risks involved in generating ‘Ghibli AI Art’ by uploading selfies or images.

In a release, the Cyber Crime Wing of the State police said that in the recent days, there had been an alarming increase in the use of Ghibli AI Art by members of the public at large. The Ghibli AI Art generators used the selfies or images uploaded by people to create anime-like versions based on user’s facial features.

However, users often neglected or underestimated the potential dangers involved in this. The AI system would analyse and store the faces, the expressions and the backgrounds. “These uploads are used to train the AI without taking any clear consent from the user. Continuous uploading [of images or selfies] will expand the knowledge base of the system...,” the release said.

A matter of concern was that the users would not be able to easily delete the submitted data. In case of image uploads, there was no guaranteed way to request deletion. The unauthorised use and distribution of Ghibli’s artwork across digital platforms, particularly when obtained through unofficial or shady channels, would put users at a risk of becoming victims to cyber crimes, the police further said.

The potential dangers of uploading photos on any shady link would invite problems such as data leaks or data being sold to unknown advertisement firms. Many websites offering free downloads of Ghibli artworks were often fronts for malicious cyber activities. Users who downloaded content from these sources could unwittingly infect their devices with harmful software, including viruses, malware, or ransomware, leading to potential loss of data and identity theft.

“Scammers may use popular Ghibli characters and art as baits in phishing scams. These fraudulent campaigns often involve fake contests, giveaways, or free download links for Ghibli art. Clicking on these links can lead to theft of personal data and financial information, or even financial losses...”, the police warned.