OpenAI’s new image creation tool converted images into the style of the Japanese animation studio, and suddenly the family photos were rendered into Ghibli style. Of course, GPT-4-o can render images into other styles but there was demand for Ghibli and soon everything was Ghiblified. It was a cozy world. It made mundane magical.
There is juxtaposition of dreamlike Ghibli world and real-life horrors, say JFK assassination. Sam Ataman, OpenAI CEO, changed his profile picture to a cartoon version. The White House tweeted a picture of Ghibli President Donald Trump slapping handcuffs on a fentanyl dealer. There is some backlash from artists — people use the tool rather than a human artist.
AI art can be used for good or evil. The White House tweet was tasteless. However, it can also entertain many. Even Studio Ghibli released a full 3-D animated movie in 2020, directed by Miyazaki’s son Goro. Computer animation expands our ability to turn vision into reality. Studios such as Pixar have imbued soul into computer animation.
There are grey areas. Art style cannot be copyrighted. Japanese laws around AI scraping are highly permissive. The whole episode is free advertising for the Studio. In any case, the tech is not going back in the box. It has implications for artists and animators. Creative works are too not uniquely protected.
Technological change stirs us. The world is full of uncertainty that makes us look at Ghibli. It is a simple and comforting world.
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