The internet is no stranger to viral trends. But sometimes, a wave comes along that is special.
GPT-4o image generation created a Studio Ghibli trend overnight, and people are turning images into anime. Let’s talk about what happened and how to do it for yourself:
Table Of Contents:
- How GPT-4o Sparked a Studio Ghibli Revolution
- The Ethical AI Debate
- Can AI and Art Coexist?
- Conclusion
How GPT-4o Sparked a Studio Ghibli Revolution
How exactly did GPT-4o trigger a style frenzy overnight? OpenAI unveiled image generation inside GPT-4o. Suddenly, the internet was flooded with anime-style pics inspired by studio ghibli.
New Image Generation Capabilities
Previously, generating images in ChatGPT meant routing requests to DALL-E 3. But the GPT-4o model is different. This allows it to create content with what OpenAI called their “most advanced image generator yet”.
It’s trained on text, code, images, video, and audio, opening new possibilities. So now, it is also possible to upload existing images for style transfers. This leads us to the main part: How to turn existing pics into Studio Ghibli artwork.
Many users want to take existing images of families, friends, pets and landscapes and give them a more animated vibe from their favorite movies like Spirited Away or *My Neighbor Totoro*.
To do it, begin by making sure that your chosen AI model is GPT-4o. Then, with just a text prompt, you can render that picture in studio ghibli animation.
This is the exact prompt I used: “Turn this photo into a Studio Ghibli-style image.”
Here is the result:
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman joined the trend and updated his own profile pic.
The Artistry of Studio Ghibli
What makes this style so recognizable? It has a distinct artistic approach thanks to co-creator Hayao Miyazaki. The whimsical feel, lush backgrounds, and nostalgic stories are common trademarks.
So it’s no surprise everyone loves seeing everyday moments turn into Ghibli scenes. It may even prompt their love of art and appreciation to blossom for the art powerhouse that makes dreams reality. But is this appreciation ethical?
The Ethical AI Debate
With AI’s rising influence, artists voice concerns. Some feel the Ghibli AI trend diminishes the human element and some have called it “AI slop”. AI slop is used to describe outlandish AI-generated imagery that floods social feeds.
Miyazaki once called AI-generated art “an insult to life itself.” He said that anyone that “gives no thought to pain,” creates unpleasantness. This highlights valid fears about AI’s place in creative spaces.
As cool as studio ghibli generated AI artworks might seem, is it the Wild Wild West? Who is holding anyone accountable to any set standards and codes, particularly since people see monetary value being applied with art nowadays. Ethical concerns are at the forefront of the debate.
Another common ethical concern comes in AI models. Are AI services trained using existing work without consent? Some services do not disclose training data which adds suspicion. Users might not know that some materials used were not appropriately and accordingly licensed for those to generate revenue, particularly with artworks.
What are everyone’s true intentions in relation to art and copyright? It remains to be seen what OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will say next regarding this. It is something that requires consideration as privacy policy issues can arise.
Is There an End to Art and Copyright Feuds with AI?
There’s currently no end in sight to legal battles and copyright feuds about the ethical considerations of the topic in question. The lack of insight may frustrate, or lead to a more genuine and healthy suspicion and investigation.
As of lately in April, 2024, authors went on to pursue an AI lawsuit that accused it of “rampant” copyright infringement. These all will add onto existing lawsuits made last year as well. There are definitely copyright feuds about AI.
Some Hollywood actors object artificial-intelligence firms to “weaken or eliminate” copyrighted works protections for AI systems. The push towards compensation is ever on the rise it seems. The ethical dilemma will just stay in hot topic.
How the Animation Powerhouse Views AI Art
This section gives insight in studio ghibli’s approach to AI works of art. People were so inspired they created wonderful renditions. That’s on a human level of artistry, from experience that I highly resonate and respect.
Studio Ghibli has kept mum amidst this AI art upswell. Is their silence suspicious? Remember the dark heart of Studio Ghibli’s The Boy and the Heron animation? Co-founder Hayao Miyazaki has been quite outspoken.
Back in 2016, when demoed AI animation, his blunt take on the matter was he felt, “utterly disgusted”. As recent as 2025, more than 400 filmmakers, musicians and actors claim the AI market tries to “exploit America’s creative and knowledge industries”.
Given this divide, can AI and artists meet somewhere in the center and reach common grounds of agreements in the long haul for artistic works?
Can AI and Art Coexist?
Any advancement – particularly in science or technology – should not come to mean elimination, of anything unless absolute vital necessity.
A simple integration and addition with good intention can get far more than harm intention at any direction. Therefore: We go towards sustainable effort from art industries with sustainability efforts being ever more implemented.
What comes next for GPT-4o and studio ghibli, after this trend fades? That really is on what next best options the engineers come out and show for us to experiment on.
There has also came forth certain practicalities that AI might become very helpful in certain areas. Ranging from ethical and philosophical in nature and artistic creation at face and with revenue, check the idea below.
Future Potentials with Artistic Creation & Production with AI
Some think AI will open doors. These include easy style transfers for anyone, democratizing art creation. However it would be interesting to view practical help AI may be used for in other ways:
- Brainstorm and assist to draft for new scenes when one has block; Or to better render/animate difficult shots better.
- Speed up simple or small animations that is ever time and cost exhaustive (if certain animators only know so much, this might make great assistance from that knowledge bottleneck). This goes across board as well for a whole line of bottleneck work chains.
- Think better brainstorming assistance as you might get multiple iterations of concept arts right to go for any kind of art forms from movie to books, before putting your utmost energy – especially in the early design process of “pre-production”, which then saves you resources of finance to physical resources needed.
These reasons can certainly be practical and welcomed with good implementation. Remember to think sustainability as well.
Conclusion
To recap, GPT-4o created a Studio Ghibli trend overnight. The rise of AI-generated content is the latest game. While fun, we also must be concerned over how the artistic and copyright industries respond to this shift.
Is AI the final frontier? Not at all. It’s only the opening to what we do next. The viral videos showcasing this are fun, but it is just the beginning.
The possibilities with free ChatGPT and other tools are endless. Even Vinay Hiremath is joining in. Keep experimenting with different styles.
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