What has been the impact so far?
The far-reaching nature of this trend and the sheer numbers of those who hopped onto this bandwagon have led to so much demand that it has caused ChatGPT’s computer chips, which generate the images, to almost stop working.
Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI and the creator of ChatGPT, said in a post on X soon after the trend gained momentum that “our GPUs are melting”. He has since announced the introduction of upload restrictions to limit the number of times users can access the service.
But the barrage of “Ghiblified” AI image requests seemed to balloon further, which Altman addressed in a post two days later: “Can yall [sic] please chill on generating images this is insane our team needs sleep.”
Why is it problematic?
Miyazaki, known for his hand-drawn approach to animation, has previously expressed strong disdain towards AI-generated art.
When he was shown a demonstration of an AI animation model in 2016, Miyazaki said in response: “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.”
Hayao Miyazaki is no fan of AI-generated art. Credit: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Miyazaki is famously known for drawing thousands of frames in each film by hand – he has always believed that animation should be grounded in traditional hand-drawn techniques which lend Studio Ghibli films their intricate qualities, attention to detail and expressive animations.
“I believe that the tool of an animator is the pencil,” he told The New York Times in an interview in 2021.
And when he has enlisted the help of computer-generated imagery (CGI), it is used mostly sparingly in films such as Princess Mononoke. This sets Ghibli films apart from mainstream animation’s labour- and time-saving preferences.
Beyond Miyazaki’s personal stance on AI, there have also been public critiques over numerous ethical and copyright concerns, as AI models such as ChatGPT train and use existing art without consent from the original artists.