Last week, OpenAI launched a new image generator that can transform any picture into Studio Ghibli’s style. Overnight, social media was flooded with “Ghiblified” images and memes, entertaining some fans but angering many others. In this post, let’s see how J-List customers reacted to the AI Ghibli art!
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OpenAI Made a Splash with Its ‘AI Ghibli,’ but Some Fans Are Angry
Last week OpenAI founder Sam Altman announced a new image generation tool that’s part of the company’s GPT-4o model. AI image generation has been around for a while, but it’s mostly been something people played with for a few minutes and then discarded as a waste of time.
But this new AI tool is different. Not only does it finally solve the long-standing problem of rendering text in images, but it also lets users transform any image into a specific visual style, whether that’s Pixar, Disney, ’70s anime, or Cyberpunk. What really caught the internet’s attention was the ability to create “Ghiblified” versions of photos. The response was so overwhelming that OpenAI’s servers couldn’t keep up, forcing the company to temporarily limit access in certain regions.
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My Take on New Technology
To be honest, I love technology. I love to explore what I can do with the newest innovations that come along. My son told me that soon after he sees me with some new gadget — I had the original AirPods in my ears from day one — then suddenly everyone in the world has them. So when ChatGPT came along, I started experimenting, mostly using it to bounce ideas for blog posts off of. It was immediately clear this technology was riddled with flaws and limitations, but would probably keep improving.
That said, there’s a big difference between having an AI chatbox proofread text that I myself have written, and generating images that are an amalgamation of thousands or millions of existing images.
Does Hayao Miyazaki Hate AI Art?
There’s a famous clip on the internet of Hayao Miyazaki berating his son Goro for trying to move the company towards more CGI-based animation. The clip comes from a 2016 NHK documentary about how Studio Ghibli manages the challenge of new technologies. Miyazaki looked at a piece of AI-trained CGI the animation his son and staff were showing him and said it reminded him of a sick friend whose body had deteriorated to the point where he couldn’t move freely. “I can’t take any enjoyment in this. It is an insult to life itself.”
So we don’t know the director’s reaction to the current wave of AI-generated art based on his studio’s unique style. But, we know he was against using AI-trained CGI characters to try to save on animation costs back in 2016.
Goro’s group inside the company probably won the argument, because the CGI-based film Earwig And The Witch was released in 2020. But the first computer-animated film by Studio Ghibli certainly didn’t make a splash like all the other films released by the studio.
Do Companies and Tech Bros Think AI Art Has Commercial Value?
I spend a lot of time on Reddit, and few things make me cringe more than ads that lazily co-opt existing internet memes to push a product or service. Half the time, the meme they’re using is already several years out of date, but to make matters even worse, the same stale ad will run for months without a refresh. Back when J-List ran ads on 4chan, I always made sure to keep things current by regularly updating the jokes and references to keep things as fresh as possible.
Now that everyone on the planet has the ability to create Ghibli-style art using AI tools, the perceived value will presumably be zero. Actually, less than zero, since any commercial use would probably come with a knock on the door from Studio Ghibli’s lawyers. So while the new AI generation tools from OpenAI might be fun to play around with, I believe there’s a good chance they’ll end up having very little value to anyone wanting to use them for profit.
No Thank You! What Do J-List Customers Think of AI Ghibli Art?
I asked J-List’s awesome customers what they think of the new AI Ghibli filter, and these are the replies I got! (I added the memes.)
I’m not a fan of AI Ghibli art, and it’s a bit of an insult to Miyazaki, who I believe is strongly against AI art.
Honestly, it is a theft of the whole studio’s identity, not just of Miyazaki’s. Art is a statement from the artist. To see it out of context is putting words in the artist’s mouth that they did not intend.
Nothing good comes from using AI. That’s the thing. AI used in coding? Full of security holes. AI used for art? People are now selling AI art as their own despite it being stolen. All implementations I’ve seen are bad.
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This is an insult to the master.
AI is a blight on artistic creation which we have been working on since the dawn of time. Art didn’t evolve to be mimicked by content stolen from actual artists. AI can’t create anything on its own without stealing it. Until that changes all AI is is a chat bot with a fancy hat.
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This is not art. It’s dogshit slop.
It’s fun, but obviously quickly being used maliciously and for politics as usual. All the fun is now officially gone.
More Reactions from J-List Customers About AI-Generated Anime Art
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The new AI Ghibli art generation is good for memes and is a nice distraction, but it will inevitably get better and better. This goes for voice acting as well, by the way. I’m not saying this to start any arguments among fans, it’s simply something we will have to deal with at some point or another.
People should just learn to fucking draw. It’s not hard, trust me.
As an artist, many people in this world are just fucking retarded. They don’t care about actual effort put into creating something yourself with skills honed over years of work.
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Miyazaki once threatened the Weinstein’s with a katana if they edited his movie, I imagine he’d like to get his hands on the people burning rainforests to create AI Ghibli images. I’m with him on this one.
Those familiar with the Ghibli style and memes in general will find it funny or not in varying levels. It’s just another excuse to resurrect old and dead memes.
I wonder what would Miyazaki think of AI Ghibli art, LOL.
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AI is just another tool that will be adopted by artists and the general public. Twitter artists attempting to shut it down completely is only blowing the situation out of proportion. Remember the Streisand Effect?
Only thing I really got from this is that AI has way too many restrictions. When someone comes up with an AI that doesn’t restrict you from making content that’s where the real fun begins.
People are overreacting to what’s no different than a Snapchat filter trending.
I wish the creators of this abomination the sharpest Lego pieces in their shoes.
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I’m amused as hell by it, and I know it’ll all probably be gone in a month.
Peter’s Final View
One the one hand, AI tools are potentially amazing ways for us all to improve our personal productivity and do more valuable work with less time. On the other hand, scraping the Internet of art by human artists and combining into something unrecogizable is a big problem. While I have a lot of issue with my beloved Studio Ghibli’s art being used by computer algorythms without permission, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that seeing Ghiblfied versions of my own family members wasn’t a really amazing thing.
I do find it interesting to note how many more fans are up in arms over OpenAI “stealing” the art style of a beloved Japanese anime studio, when they presumably wouldn’t have had the same reaction to Snapchat filters that turn us into South Park characters. As a lifelong fan of Hayao Miyazaki and his films, it’s heartwarming to see so many fans coming to his defense.
Thanks for reading this blog post with the reaction to the explosion of AI Ghibli art. What do you think about the ability to render images in various styles using AI, including those of individual artists like Hayao Miyazaki? Let’s discuss it in the comments below!
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J-List has big news: we’re launching Megumi Express, a new proxy buying service from J-List. Now you can order anything from Japan, even if it’s not in stock on our site. Our Japanese staff will handle all the details, and get your order out to you fast. Read more about Megumi Express on the official site!
