Ghibli-style AI art boom sparks copyright concerns

Since OpenAI’s generative AI ChatGPT added an image generation feature, creating illustrations in the “Ghibli style” has become a global trend. In just one week, over 700 million images were generated—yet the service is also facing criticism for allegedly infringing on the copyrights of Studio Ghibli, the famed Japanese animation studio.

On April 3 (local time), Brad Lightcap, OpenAI’s Chief Operating Officer, posted on social media platform X: “very crazy first week for images in chatgpt - over 130 million users have generated over 700 million images since last Tuesday.” As a result, ChatGPT’s weekly active users (WAU) reportedly increased by about 150 million compared to the end of last year, and the number of paid subscribers grew by approximately 4.5 million.

A major driver of this surge in popularity is the viral trend of generating “Ghibli-style” images using the new feature. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman drew widespread attention after posting a Ghibli-style portrait of himself on X. Even the Indian government joined in, sharing a Ghibli-style illustration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron on its official X account.However, concerns are mounting over potential copyright infringement.

Megumi Ishitani, director of the globally popular anime One Piece, strongly criticized the trend, calling it an act that deval‎ues Ghibli. “I can’t stand seeing Ghibli treated like a cheap imitation. Tarnishing Ghibli’s name is unforgivable,” she said.

Studio Ghibli has not yet released an official statement. However, its founder and legendary director Hayao Miyazaki previously expressed his stance on AI-generated animation in a 2016 NHK documentary, saying he found it “deeply disgusting.” “I feel it’s an insult to life itself, and I would never want it used in my work,” he said.


Min Kim kimmin@donga.com