【Watch The Temptation of Kimono (2009)】

OpenAI released a new image generator this week,Watch The Temptation of Kimono (2009) and AI-generated Studio Ghibli slop is now all over the internet.

In the livestream demo of the native image generation in ChatGPT and Sora, OpenAI took a selfie and asked the new generator to turn it into an anime frame. The result looked a lot like art from a Studio Ghibli film. It went viral, despite some social media users pointing out the potential copyright violations. All the while, Hayao Miyazaki, the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, has been vocally disgusted by the use of AI in art.

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In a clip from the 2016 documentary series Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki, the director behind classics like Spirited Awayand My Neighbor Totoro, said of AI: "Whoever creates this stuff has no idea what pain is whatsoever. I am utterly disgusted. If you really 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."

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But the internet doesn't all agree that fury and disgust is the only response. Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, changed his profile photo to a Ghibli-style photo of himself.

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Many users on X have also been using the tool to create their own Studio Ghibli-style "art" and memes.

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While the new image generator in ChatGPT has been lauded by some for its ability to mimic distinct visual styles, its impact raises key questions about the fine line between innovation and infringement — especially when it comes to the outspoken desires of artists like Miyazaki.

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