The internet has been overtaken by AI-generated images rendered in the style of Studio Ghibli, the Japanese animation house known for its beloved films such as Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle.
On the surface, it all seems innocent enough. People are prompting AI services, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, to recreate photos of their weddings, pets and loved ones as Ghibli-inspired versions. The large, expressive eyes, warm tonal palette, vibrant backgrounds and general aesthetic are unmistakably in the style of Hayao Miyazaki, the founder of Studio Ghibli.
The trend has cajoled public figures from Mike Tyson to Narendra Modi into posting AI-generated pictures of themselves with the Ghibli treatment. Even the White House’s official X account used the aesthetic in a controversial post that shows an ICE agent arresting a sobbing Virginia Basora-Gonzalez, a convicted fentanyl dealer and illegal migrant.
The White House post was in poor taste, but the entire trend has ethical implications that many using the ChatGPT function may not initially consider. The deluge of images has effectively become a frontline in the debate surrounding the ethics of artificial intelligence, specifically its use on copyrighted works and how this will affect the livelihood of artists.
At one end of the spectrum, there is the argument that AI is only a tool that can never replicate the sensibilities of a human artist. AI-generated art, no matter if it is replicating the style of Studio Ghibli or Henri Matisse, will only be able to create works that exist in the space occupied by corporate art and hotel room canvases. That is, works that may seem aesthetically pleasing but lack depth, serving to only break the blankness of a wall.
But there is a more disruptive dimension to consider – the flagrant and irresponsible overstepping of tech companies over intellectual property.
The use of Miyazaki’s aesthetic in the latest viral storm is representative of a bigger issue. The Japanese animation studio is not likely to lose money if you put in a photograph taken on your honeymoon in Mykonos and give it the Ghibli treatment. But there are independent artists to consider, ones who risk having their unique designs or styles appropriated by online product sellers.
Take the case of Vanessa Bowman, for instance. The UK painter is known for her works inspired by an idyllic rural life. Her unique designs had been stolen and imprinted on clothing by the online fashion giant Shein.
“They didn’t remotely bother trying to change anything,” she told The Guardian in 2022. “The things I paint are my garden and my little village: it’s my life. And they’ve just taken my world to China and whacked it on an acrylic jumper.”
AI further complicates a tough battle for independent artists. A company no longer needs to take specific work to incorporate into their products, circumventing more clear-cut copyright laws to instead create designs inspired by an artist’s aesthetic. Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg of repercussions this will entail. It does not just put an artist’s creative identity and income at risk, but also that of fashion and graphic designers who would possibly have been employed by companies such as Shein.
AI is a powerful tool that can be incorporated into the daily creative workflow in wonderful ways, spurring new movements in art and creativity. The issue is not the technology, but the nature of how Big Tech is ignoring copyright law – as well as the artist’s wishes.
The Studio Ghibli trend is an especially symbolic one for this reason, particularly because Miyazaki has previously spoken out against it. A 2016 clip showing him talking about AI-created animation has become widely shared after the deluge of Ghibli-styled images.
“I am utterly disgusted,” Miyazaki says in the video to a group of designers who had experimented with AI. “If you 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. I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself.”
Later, the Studio Ghibli co-founder adds: “I feel like we are nearing the end of times. We humans are losing faith in ourselves.”
Whether you agree with Miyazaki’s statements or not isn’t the point. It is the case of an artist explicitly stating his distaste for the technology and yet having his wishes ignored.
For OpenAI to allow users to create Ghibli-styled images is an insult to the artist. It implies that the artist and their intentions do not matter. Only their work and aesthetic do. It is a situation that could dishearten the artists of tomorrow, and diminish their creative agency while keeping the field wide open for content to overrun art.
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