Risks of Creating Ghibli-Style Images Using ChatGPT

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You already know that the Ghibli-style images went viral on the internet, generated by ChatGPT.

However, concerns about copyright, privacy, and ethics have been raised.

The unique art style of Studio Ghibli, developed by Hayao Miyazaki, has been copied by AI image generators, despite Miyazaki’s strong opposition to AI-created art.

I have covered the technical, legal, and ethical parts in this edition.

Who is at risk?

1. The artists - will lose control over their creative work when sharing images with these systems.

2. The users - may unknowingly contribute to datasets.

Let’s dive deep and understand:

• How does AI image generation work?

• Copyright and intellectual property issues

• Privacy risks when sharing images with AI

• How can users reduce risk?

How does AI image generation work?

AI image generation systems are trained on large collections of images and text descriptions.

These models, including diffusion models and Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), connect written descriptions to visual images.

For instance, DALL-E was developed using CLIP (Contrastive Language-Image Pre-training), which was trained on around 400 million images with captions.

A text prompt, such as "a Ghibli-style forest with magical creatures," is given when a Ghibli-style image is requested.

The AI then generates an image by using its knowledge of artistic styles, including Studio Ghibli’s aesthetic.

Various artistic elements are combined based on the system’s training data.

How are user inputs processed?

Studies on GPT-4V’s ability to understand images have shown that AI models can process complex visual data.

For example, research found that GPT-4V could predict how humans perceive risks in traffic images with high accuracy.

Look at this image from the paper: An Early Evaluation of GPT-4V(ision)

The same ability is used when recognizing and recreating artistic styles like Studio Ghibli’s.

When users upload images or request modifications, the AI processes this data to match the requested style.

Although the AI is simply recognizing patterns from its training data and applying them to new images.

Copyright and intellectual property issues

The use of AI to generate Studio Ghibli-style images falls into a legal gray area. As of 2025, OpenAI is facing several copyright lawsuits, and no clear laws exist to regulate AI-generated art.

AI models are trained using images that their creators do not own or have permission to use.

AI companies argue that this falls under "fair use," but critics believe otherwise.

If this practice were truly legal, companies would not need to hide their data collection methods.

Studio Ghibli’s Opposition to AI Art

Hayao Miyazaki has strongly opposed AI-generated art.

After seeing an early AI animation tool, he called it "an insult to life itself."

When Ghibli’s art style is used by AI, ethical concerns are raised.

The use of AI to mimic this style could reduce the uniqueness and artistic value of Studio Ghibli’s original work.

Ghibli films inspire new art.

And copying their style without permission is a form of intellectual property theft.

Privacy risks when sharing images with AI

As an AI Engineer, I understand how these systems work.

You will upload your image, and now you don’t know whether the company is going to use your image.

If your image is used for training these AI systems, the AI system will remember your private images, and it can be generated elsewhere without your knowledge.

This is how the AI systems work.

When images are shared with AI systems like ChatGPT, they might be stored and used later.

Some AI platforms, including OpenAI, claim not to use user images for training, but policies vary across different companies.

OpenAI was a non-profit organization initially, but now it has become a for-profit organization.

Do you think they are not going to use your image when competitors emerge?

You are cute!

Conclusion

The use of AI to create Studio Ghibli-style images presents several risks.

Legal uncertainties, privacy concerns, and ethical issues must be considered by users before engaging in this practice.

Since no clear regulations exist, users must decide whether they want to participate in AI-generated art trends.

Hayao Miyazaki’s opposition to AI art highlights the importance of respecting original artists.

At the end of the day, it’s your choice whether to upload an image to an AI system.

Just remember, once it’s uploaded, you lose control over it.

Stay woke!

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