OpenAI’s latest AI image-generation feature has taken the internet by storm, allowing users to create images in the distinctive style of Studio Ghibli.
The feature, built into ChatGPT using the new GPT-4o model, has flooded social media with AI-generated artwork resembling Ghibli’s beloved animation style.
While the technology amazes users, it has also reignited serious copyright debates.
Social Media Frenzy Over Ghibli-Style AI Art
Within hours of OpenAI launching its AI image-generation tool, users began experimenting by transforming well-known figures into Studio Ghibli-style characters.
AI-generated portraits of Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and even Lord of the Rings characters have gone viral.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman seemingly joined the trend by updating his profile picture to a Ghibli-style image, presumably created using the company’s own tool.
This follows a similar moment from earlier in March when Google’s Gemini AI model made headlines for its image-generation capabilities, particularly after people discovered it could remove watermarks from copyrighted images.
Now, OpenAI’s tool has raised new concerns about AI’s ability to mimic established artistic styles.
Is AI Copying Studio Ghibli’s Unique Style?
The controversy stems from AI’s ability to replicate the distinct artistic style of a specific studio. According to intellectual property lawyer Evan Brown, styles themselves are not directly protected under copyright law.
This means that OpenAI is not necessarily breaking the law by generating images that look like Studio Ghibli films.
However, Brown notes that if OpenAI trained its AI model on millions of frames from Ghibli’s movies without permission, it could present a legal issue.
The courts are still determining whether training AI on copyrighted works falls under “fair use” protections or constitutes infringement.
Ongoing Lawsuits Against AI Companies Over Copyright
This issue is not unique to OpenAI. Several major AI companies are facing lawsuits over claims that they trained their models on copyrighted materials without proper authorization.
The New York Times is currently suing OpenAI, alleging that its AI models were trained on Times articles without permission.
Other lawsuits have been filed against AI companies like Meta and Midjourney, accusing them of using copyrighted works without compensating creators.
In a similar case, AI company Anthropic faced a lawsuit from music publishers for allegedly using copyrighted lyrics to train its chatbot, Claude. A judge denied the publishers’ request for an immediate injunction, but the broader legal battle is far from over.
Tech Giants Caught in the Copyright Debate
The broader question remains: Does training an AI model on copyrighted material without permission violate copyright laws? AI companies argue that their models learn from publicly available data and that this falls under fair use.
On the other hand, content creators and copyright holders claim that AI is profiting from their work without credit or compensation.
Google’s AI model, Gemini, faced similar backlash when users discovered it could remove watermarks from images. The ability to bypass traditional copyright protections raises ethical concerns about AI’s role in content creation.
Artists and Creators Fight Back Against AI Art
Artists have expressed growing frustration over AI-generated art that closely mimics their styles. Photographer Tim Flach, known for his animal portraits, discovered that his work was among the most frequently used by AI scrapers.
He has criticized AI companies for failing to seek permission before using artists’ works for training.
Meanwhile, various online AI tools, including getimg.ai and SeaArt.ai, offer users the ability to create images in the style of famous artists, including Studio Ghibli.
While these platforms allow anyone to generate high-quality artwork, they also raise concerns about originality and artistic integrity.
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