AI Copyright Concerns Raised by OpenAI's Viral Studio Ghibli Moment
It's been just a day since ChatGPT unleashed its new AI image generator, and social media is already buzzing with AI-crafted memes styled after Studio Ghibli. You know, the iconic Japanese animation studio behind hits like "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Spirited Away"? In the past 24 hours, we've seen everything from Elon Musk to "The Lord of the Rings" and even President Donald Trump reimagined in that enchanting Ghibli aesthetic. Heck, even OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, seems to have jumped on the bandwagon, sporting a Ghibli-style profile pic, probably whipped up by GPT-4o's image generator. Folks are having a blast uploading their pics and asking ChatGPT to give them a Ghibli makeover.
pic.twitter.com/M8B7eqfNzR
— Moon Parameter (@ParamMoon) March 26, 2025
This latest move by OpenAI comes hot on the heels of Google's similar AI image feature in its Gemini Flash model, which went viral earlier this month when people used it to zap watermarks off images. Both OpenAI's and Google's new tools make it a breeze to mimic the styles of copyrighted works—just type in a prompt and voila! But here's the kicker: how are these AI tools learning to copy these styles? Are they training on copyrighted stuff, and if so, is that even legal?
That's the million-dollar question fueling a bunch of lawsuits against AI model developers right now.
According to Evan Brown, an IP lawyer at Neal & McDevitt, tools like GPT-4o's image generator are kinda stuck in a legal gray area. Style itself isn't protected by copyright, so OpenAI isn't breaking the law just by making Ghibli-esque images. But, Brown reckons it's possible OpenAI trained its model on a ton of Ghibli film frames. And whether that's fair use? Well, that's still up in the air in court.
“I think this raises the same question we’ve been wrestling with for a while now,” Brown told me. “What are the copyright implications of scraping the web and stuffing it into these databases?”
The New York Times and other publishers are suing OpenAI, claiming the company trained its AI on their copyrighted works without so much as a thank you or a dime. Similar lawsuits are flying at other AI bigwigs like Meta and Midjourney.
In a statement to TechCrunch, an OpenAI spokesperson said ChatGPT won't copy the style of living artists, but it's cool with mimicking broader studio styles. But hey, don't forget, there are living artists behind those studio styles, like Studio Ghibli's co-founder, Hayao Miyazaki.
Turns out, folks are using GPT-4o's image generator to recreate styles from other studios and artists too. Someone made a Marc Andreessen portrait in Dr. Seuss's style, and a couple even reimagined their wedding photos in Pixar's style.
studio ghibli is out, dr seuss is in pic.twitter.com/4ECxwLLkoj
— Jordi Hays (@jordihays) March 26, 2025
We put a bunch of popular AI image generators to the test—including those in Google's Gemini, xAI's Grok, and Playground.ai—to see how well they could pull off the Ghibli look. OpenAI's new tool nailed it, creating the most spot-on Ghibli-style images.
A real dog (Left) and an AI-generated image of a dog ChatGPT made in Studio Ghibli style (right).Image Credits:Maxwell Zeff/openAI For now, OpenAI's and Google's new image features are pushing the boundaries of what AI can do, and it's driving a ton of usage. OpenAI even had to delay rolling out its new image tool to free-tier users on Wednesday because of high demand. That's great for them, but we'll have to wait and see what the courts say about whether it's all above board.
Related article
Nonprofit leverages AI agents to boost charity fundraising efforts
While major tech corporations promote AI "agents" as productivity boosters for businesses, one nonprofit organization is demonstrating their potential for social good. Sage Future, a philanthropic research group backed by Open Philanthropy, recently
Top AI Labs Warn Humanity Is Losing Grasp on Understanding AI Systems
In an unprecedented show of unity, researchers from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic and Meta have set aside competitive differences to issue a collective warning about responsible AI development. Over 40 leading scientists from these typically riv
ChatGPT Adds Google Drive and Dropbox Integration for File Access
ChatGPT Enhances Productivity with New Enterprise Features
OpenAI has unveiled two powerful new capabilities transforming ChatGPT into a comprehensive business productivity tool: automated meeting documentation and seamless cloud storage integration
Comments (43)
0/200
![KevinPerez]()
KevinPerez
August 25, 2025 at 7:01:20 PM EDT
Wow, AI making Studio Ghibli-style memes is wild! 😍 But I’m kinda worried about copyright here. Are these AI images stepping on the toes of artists’ rights? Feels like a legal mess waiting to happen.
0
![RalphGonzález]()
RalphGonzález
August 17, 2025 at 5:00:59 AM EDT
Whoa, AI making Studio Ghibli-style memes is wild! 😍 But I'm kinda worried—does this mean AI can just copy any art style now? Where’s the line for copyright? 🤔
0
![GaryPerez]()
GaryPerez
August 15, 2025 at 3:00:59 AM EDT
Whoa, AI whipping up Studio Ghibli-style memes in a day? That's wild! 😍 But seriously, are we just gonna ignore the copyright mess this could stir up? Feels like a legal storm brewing.
0
![JohnGarcia]()
JohnGarcia
April 23, 2025 at 11:27:36 AM EDT
¡Los memes de Studio Ghibli generados por IA son una locura! Es genial cómo ChatGPT puede imitar ese estilo tan bien, pero también es un poco aterrador pensar en los problemas de derechos de autor. Quiero decir, es divertido ver a Totoro en nuevos escenarios, pero ¿dónde trazamos la línea? 🤔 Sin embargo, tengo que admitir, es una tecnología impresionante.
0
![DonaldSanchez]()
DonaldSanchez
April 21, 2025 at 8:19:46 AM EDT
AI로 만든 스튜디오 지브리 밈들이 정말 대단해! ChatGPT가 그 스타일을 잘 따라하는 건 멋지지만, 저작권 문제는 좀 무서워. 토토로가 새로운 상황에 등장하는 건 재미있지만, 어디서 선을 그어야 할까? 🤔 그래도 기술적으로는 꽤 인상적이야!
0
![DouglasPerez]()
DouglasPerez
April 20, 2025 at 5:06:48 PM EDT
Los memes de Studio Ghibli generados por IA son divertidísimos, pero las preocupaciones por los derechos de autor son reales. Es genial ver a la IA en acción, pero también un poco aterrador. Necesitamos reglas más claras sobre lo que está bien y lo que no. 😅🎨
0
It's been just a day since ChatGPT unleashed its new AI image generator, and social media is already buzzing with AI-crafted memes styled after Studio Ghibli. You know, the iconic Japanese animation studio behind hits like "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Spirited Away"? In the past 24 hours, we've seen everything from Elon Musk to "The Lord of the Rings" and even President Donald Trump reimagined in that enchanting Ghibli aesthetic. Heck, even OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, seems to have jumped on the bandwagon, sporting a Ghibli-style profile pic, probably whipped up by GPT-4o's image generator. Folks are having a blast uploading their pics and asking ChatGPT to give them a Ghibli makeover.
pic.twitter.com/M8B7eqfNzR
— Moon Parameter (@ParamMoon) March 26, 2025
This latest move by OpenAI comes hot on the heels of Google's similar AI image feature in its Gemini Flash model, which went viral earlier this month when people used it to zap watermarks off images. Both OpenAI's and Google's new tools make it a breeze to mimic the styles of copyrighted works—just type in a prompt and voila! But here's the kicker: how are these AI tools learning to copy these styles? Are they training on copyrighted stuff, and if so, is that even legal?
That's the million-dollar question fueling a bunch of lawsuits against AI model developers right now.
According to Evan Brown, an IP lawyer at Neal & McDevitt, tools like GPT-4o's image generator are kinda stuck in a legal gray area. Style itself isn't protected by copyright, so OpenAI isn't breaking the law just by making Ghibli-esque images. But, Brown reckons it's possible OpenAI trained its model on a ton of Ghibli film frames. And whether that's fair use? Well, that's still up in the air in court.
“I think this raises the same question we’ve been wrestling with for a while now,” Brown told me. “What are the copyright implications of scraping the web and stuffing it into these databases?”
The New York Times and other publishers are suing OpenAI, claiming the company trained its AI on their copyrighted works without so much as a thank you or a dime. Similar lawsuits are flying at other AI bigwigs like Meta and Midjourney.
In a statement to TechCrunch, an OpenAI spokesperson said ChatGPT won't copy the style of living artists, but it's cool with mimicking broader studio styles. But hey, don't forget, there are living artists behind those studio styles, like Studio Ghibli's co-founder, Hayao Miyazaki.
Turns out, folks are using GPT-4o's image generator to recreate styles from other studios and artists too. Someone made a Marc Andreessen portrait in Dr. Seuss's style, and a couple even reimagined their wedding photos in Pixar's style.
studio ghibli is out, dr seuss is in pic.twitter.com/4ECxwLLkoj
— Jordi Hays (@jordihays) March 26, 2025
We put a bunch of popular AI image generators to the test—including those in Google's Gemini, xAI's Grok, and Playground.ai—to see how well they could pull off the Ghibli look. OpenAI's new tool nailed it, creating the most spot-on Ghibli-style images.
Nonprofit leverages AI agents to boost charity fundraising efforts
While major tech corporations promote AI "agents" as productivity boosters for businesses, one nonprofit organization is demonstrating their potential for social good. Sage Future, a philanthropic research group backed by Open Philanthropy, recently
Top AI Labs Warn Humanity Is Losing Grasp on Understanding AI Systems
In an unprecedented show of unity, researchers from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic and Meta have set aside competitive differences to issue a collective warning about responsible AI development. Over 40 leading scientists from these typically riv
ChatGPT Adds Google Drive and Dropbox Integration for File Access
ChatGPT Enhances Productivity with New Enterprise Features
OpenAI has unveiled two powerful new capabilities transforming ChatGPT into a comprehensive business productivity tool: automated meeting documentation and seamless cloud storage integration
August 25, 2025 at 7:01:20 PM EDT
Wow, AI making Studio Ghibli-style memes is wild! 😍 But I’m kinda worried about copyright here. Are these AI images stepping on the toes of artists’ rights? Feels like a legal mess waiting to happen.
0
August 17, 2025 at 5:00:59 AM EDT
Whoa, AI making Studio Ghibli-style memes is wild! 😍 But I'm kinda worried—does this mean AI can just copy any art style now? Where’s the line for copyright? 🤔
0
August 15, 2025 at 3:00:59 AM EDT
Whoa, AI whipping up Studio Ghibli-style memes in a day? That's wild! 😍 But seriously, are we just gonna ignore the copyright mess this could stir up? Feels like a legal storm brewing.
0
April 23, 2025 at 11:27:36 AM EDT
¡Los memes de Studio Ghibli generados por IA son una locura! Es genial cómo ChatGPT puede imitar ese estilo tan bien, pero también es un poco aterrador pensar en los problemas de derechos de autor. Quiero decir, es divertido ver a Totoro en nuevos escenarios, pero ¿dónde trazamos la línea? 🤔 Sin embargo, tengo que admitir, es una tecnología impresionante.
0
April 21, 2025 at 8:19:46 AM EDT
AI로 만든 스튜디오 지브리 밈들이 정말 대단해! ChatGPT가 그 스타일을 잘 따라하는 건 멋지지만, 저작권 문제는 좀 무서워. 토토로가 새로운 상황에 등장하는 건 재미있지만, 어디서 선을 그어야 할까? 🤔 그래도 기술적으로는 꽤 인상적이야!
0
April 20, 2025 at 5:06:48 PM EDT
Los memes de Studio Ghibli generados por IA son divertidísimos, pero las preocupaciones por los derechos de autor son reales. Es genial ver a la IA en acción, pero también un poco aterrador. Necesitamos reglas más claras sobre lo que está bien y lo que no. 😅🎨
0
