Just a little under two weeks ago, OpenAI unlocked the native image generation capabilities of GPT-4o (the AI model that runs ChatGPT), which led to a whole host of use cases, but the one that got the most attention online was the conversion of real-world pictures into Studio Ghibli-style images. Since then, there has been much debate about the copyright issues raised by the new technology.
There are strong opinions on both sides of the debate, with some people believing that AI-generated art will be a game changer in the future and is just as artistic as paintings created by hand. On the other hand, there are those who firmly believe that the images generated by ChatGPT are nothing more than theft.
While Studio Ghibli has chosen to stay out of this discussion, a 2016 video by its co-founder Hayao Miyazaki has been widely referenced, in which he describes a piece of art generated using an older generation model as ‘insult to life itself’.
Sam Alman reacts to Miyazaki’s statement:
In a recent podcast with YouTuber Varun Mayya, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was asked about Miyazaki’s statement, to which the 39-year-old responded, “I think the democratization of creating content has been a big net win for society. It has not been a complete win. There are negative things about it, for sure, and certainly it did something about the the art form. ”
“But I think on a whole, it’s been a win, and this is something that I very deeply believe about the power of technology, which is giving everyone more tools, making things easier, lowering the barriers to entry, does significantly increase the number of people that can contribute to society, and we all benefit from that.” the OpenAI CEO added.
What is Studio Ghibli?
Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation film studio founded in 1985 by Miyazaki Hayao, Takahata Isao and Suzuki Toshio. The company is known for its high-quality filmmaking with hand-drawn animation and rich storytelling.
Some of the company’s most notable animated films include Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service and Princess Mononoke.
The studio’s films are celebrated for their dreamlike landscapes, soft colour palettes, and deeply human storytelling. The labour-intensive, hand-drawn approach of Ghibli animators has long been considered the gold standard in traditional animation.
