Recently, the artificial intelligence company OpenAI launched the latest update of its chatbot. OpenAI announced that they are integrating an image generator into GPT-4o so that the chatbot can now independently generate images for their users. Not long after this update, AI-generated images of Ghibli-style art started flooding social media. People have even started using Ghibli art for their profile pictures.
Anyone who knows a thing or two about the Ghibli studio would know how much of a disgrace this AI feature is. The co-founder of the Ghibli studio has previously taken a strong stance against AI-generated art, for good reason too. Here’s everything you need to know about the latest Ghibli AI art issue and why it desecrates the anime industry.
1. ChatGPT Can Now Replicate Ghibli Art
Not long after OpenAI launched its latest update, people have given the software all sorts of prompts to mimic many kinds of images. When these prompts were extended to Ghibli art, the result was mindblowing, as the images that were generated looked like they were taken right out of Spirited Away or Howl’s Moving Castle. The only thing off about the images was probably how the timeline of the images looked too modern.
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At this point, the internet has seen a lot: people have changed their profile pictures, pets, and even politicians into Ghibli-style artworks. The resemblance is uncanny and shocking as well. To anyone directly involved with the making of original Ghibli art, these images would incite frustration.
2. Why the AI Generation of Ghibli Art Is A Problem
Everyone in the Ghibli studio who is involved with the making of their anime pours their time, heart, and soul into it’s making. If this doesn’t convince you, know this: the studio spent almost 7 years to create the 36-minute movie, The Boy and The Heron. Over 60 animators hand-drawn every frame in the anime while giving immense attention to detail and precision. This is the nature of Studio Ghibli’s intellectual property, and any art generated that is too similar to Ghibli art is considered copyright infringement.
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We can expect the studio to take action to have any AI-generated content removed any day now. Studios like Disney and Marvel are very strict about having their intellectual property secured. They frequently take action on AI-generated copies of their art, so AI chatbots do not generate any more images if they resemble Disney or Marvel art too much.
3. Hayao Miyazaki’s Thoughts On AI-Generated Art
Hayao Miyazaki is the co-founder of Studio Ghibli and serves as its honorary chairman. He is also a very popular animator and manga artist, and has contributed to many popular anime like Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, The Boy And The Heron, and Spirited Away. Hayao Miyazaki had previously expressed his disapproval of using artificial intelligence to create animations in an interview in 2016.
According to Miyazaki, anyone who uses AI to create animation doesn’t know what pain is. He finds AI-generated art to be creepy and explicitly emphasised that he would not be using any such techniques in his animations. During the interview, he said, “I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself.”
In today’s day and age, many animators may directly or indirectly rely on AI for creating their content. However, Ghilbli Studio sees more value in animations that are produced as a result of human talent and technique, so any AI replication of art that the studio considers to be a culmination of hard work would only consider to be disrepect to their efforts.
4. The Environmental Impact Of ChatGPT
AI generation models like ChatGPT have become an integral part of human life at this point. Given its ability to decipher normal language and its vast database of knowledge, this outcome is natural. However, not many know about the tremendous environmental costs of these energy-hungry AI systems.
Data centers host servers on which AI models like ChatGPT run. These need a ton of energy to generate the results they currently do. An estimate revealed that ChatGPT alone causes about 8.4 tons of carbon dioxide every year, which is more than twice the amount of emissions caused by humans. These data centers also use about 700,000 liters of water a year.
Since ChatGPT has brought its new model GPT-4o, these numbers will only increase, causing a significant impact on the earth. As AI language models grow in size, it is vital for companies to also find ways to minimize these environmental impacts. Individuals can also contribute to this cause by reducing the hype around AI and by promoting more sustainable and responsible practices in AI development. In an era where industrialisation is fragmenting the earth, technological advancement should not be another reason for the planet’s downfall.
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