ChatGPT's New Ghibli Filter Sparks Joy and Ethical Debate

Fans of Studio Ghibli, the legendary Japanese animation studio behind classics like “Spirited Away,” were delighted this week by a new version of ChatGPT that enabled users to transform memes and personal photos into the distinctive style of founder Hayao Miyazaki.

However, the trend raised ethical concerns about the use of AI tools trained on the works of artists and what that means for the livelihoods of those artists.

Miyazaki, now 84, has long been skeptical about the role of AI in animation and previously said he was “utterly disgusted” by an AI demo he witnessed back in 2016. He felt it lacked an understanding of human pain, which contributes to his broader reservations about AI’s role in the art form.

So, while many people are enjoying the ability to create Ghibli-style images from their own photos, it’s likely that Miyazaki might not be so pleased.

Entrepreneur Janu Lingeswaran uploaded a photo of his cat, Mali, to ChatGPT’s image generator and was delighted with the Ghibli-style image that came back. His delight reflects that of many others who have taken to social media to experiment with the new tool.

OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, has encouraged experiments to “Ghiblify” your images while facing copyright lawsuits. The company says it takes a “conservative approach” to mimicking the styles of individual artists, but allows for broader styles from studios like Ghibli for fan creations.

Josh Weigensberg, a legal expert in copyright law, raised the question of whether OpenAI had permission to train its model on the works of Ghibli. He pointed out that while style is generally not copyrightable, specific elements within that style might be.

Artist Karla Ortiz also took to social media to criticize OpenAI for exploiting Ghibli’s brand. She expressed outrage when the White House used a Ghibli-style image in a meme, calling it an insult to Miyazaki’s artistry.

So far there has been no comment from Studio Ghibli on this trend, while OpenAI did not respond to questions about licensing.