Explained | The rise of Studio Ghibli-style AI art: Copyright, creativity and controversy— what’s at stake?

OpenAI recently launched its 4o Image Generation feature which took the internet by storm with its ability to transform real-life images into some of the most popular art forms. Among them, the Studio Ghibli-inspired aesthetic quickly became a viral sensation, driving a surge in engagement. As a result, the San Francisco-based company saw its average weekly users for ChatGPT surpass 150 million for the first time this year.

But the question arises: Why does the internet remain divided even after users flock to ChatGPT, get their pictures turned into Ghibli-style art and flaunt it on their social media?

Art vs AI: Dilemma for ChatGPT users

Studio Ghibli’s art is all about aesthetics, lush landscapes, soft colour palettes, and expressive characters. It is a legacy and ode, originally created by Hayao Miyazaki. As the name suggests, the AI art reminds fans of the studio’s iconic films, such as Spirited Away and MyNeighbor Totoro, painstakingly drawn by hand. The new ChatGPT feature not only puts creators’ jobs across the world in danger but also raises concerns over potential copyright infringements.

Goro Miyazaki, 58, the son of Hayao Miyazaki and the managing director at Studio Ghibli, commented on the trend, “Artificial intelligence could one day replace animators.”

“Nowadays, the world is full of opportunities to watch anything, anytime, anywhere,” Goro said, making it harder to imagine making a living from the physical act of drawing. He expressed concerns for young artists who are no longer interested in manual labour to produce original Gibli-style art.

OpenAI faces Copyright lawsuit

The AI company is facing several copyright lawsuits for generating images in the style of different artists. It stated, “Generating images in the style of individual living artists is banned, but we do permit broader studio styles.”

Legal expert Rob Rosenberg, founder of Telluride Legal Strategies, stated Futurism that the Janapese art studio could claim OpenAI has violated the Lanham Act, which was enacted in 1946 to protect against false trademarks, advertising and unfair competition.

Rosenberg highlighted, “Ghibli could argue that by converting user photos to ‘Ghibli-style,’ OpenAI is trading off the goodwill of Ghibli’s trademarks, using its recognisable artistic identity in a way that may confuse consumers into believing the function is endorsed or licensed by the studio.”

Who is Hayao Miyazaki?

Goro Miyazaki reflected on the legacy of Studio Ghibli, which his father co-founded with Isao Takahata in 1985, a year after directing the post-apocalyptic Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.

Following Takahata’s passing in 2018, Hayao Miyazaki—now 84 and a longtime smoker—continued to create films alongside 76-year-old producer Toshio Suzuki.

Despite his age, Hayao won his second Oscar last year for The Boy and the Heron, likely his final feature film.

While anime is often associated with children, Takahata and Hayao, shaped by their experiences growing up in a wartime generation, infused their works with mature, often darker themes that resonate with adults.

“It’s not just sweetness—there’s bitterness too, beautifully woven into the storytelling,” Goro noted, describing an underlying “smell of death” that gives Ghibli films their depth.

Another major concern: Privacy breach?

Luiza Jarovsky, a co-founder of aitechprivacy.com and a PhD researcher, explains how the Ghibli effect also has critical privacy implications.

In her newsletter, Jarovsky highlighted a growing privacy concern: thousands of people are willingly uploading their faces and personal photos to ChatGPT to receive a Ghibli or Sesame Street-style transformation. In doing so, OpenAI is gaining access to a vast collection of fresh images, potentially for AI model training.

OpenAI could simply scrape similar images from the internet, Jarovsky stated with two key points.

“First, under EU regulations, when OpenAI scrapes images from the web, it must justify the processing under legitimate interest (Article 6.1.f of the GDPR), ensuring it does not harm individuals. This may require additional safeguards or even prohibiting the use of certain images, particularly those of minors. However, when users voluntarily upload their photos, they are giving direct consent (Article 6.1.a), bypassing the stricter legal scrutiny of scraped data. OpenAI’s privacy policy also states that user-provided data may be used for training unless they opt out,” emphasised the AI expert.

Adding to the privacy debate, she added, “These uploads include previously unseen photos—family portraits, personal moments, and intimate snapshots that may never have been online. This gives OpenAI exclusive access to original images while competitors only see the altered versions. As this trend continues, users are increasingly turning to ChatGPT for avatar creation, reducing reliance on third-party tools.”

Risk of online harassment and child abuse

Proton, a digital security firm, warned on its official X account about the risks of sharing personal photos with AI. “Beyond potential data breaches, once images are uploaded, users lose control over their usage. These photos may be used to train AI models, potentially leading to the creation of misleading, defamatory, or even harassing content,” the company explained.

AWIRED report reveals that tens of thousands of explicit AI-generated images, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM), were openly accessible online. Security researcher Jeremiah Fowler discovered a database linked to South Korea-based GenNomis, containing over 95,000 records, including prompts and AI-altered celebrity images. The leak exposed 45GB of AI-generated content, highlighting how such tools can be exploited to create harmful, nonconsensual material. The rise of deepfake platforms has increasingly led to the targeting of women and minors with damaging content.

Conclusion

The rise of AI-generated art, particularly OpenAI’s Ghibli-style image transformation, has ignited debates across creative, legal, and ethical domains. While millions of users are drawn to the trend, enjoying the novelty of AI-enhanced visuals, concerns around copyright infringement, artistic integrity, privacy risks, and potential misuse continue to cast a shadow.

As AI continues to push creative boundaries, the balance between innovation, ethics and protection of individual and artistic rights remains a crucial question for the industry.