Overview

• OpenAI's new image-generation tool allows users to create images mimicking Studio Ghibli's iconic hand-drawn style, sparking a viral social media trend.
• Critics, including artists and legal experts, argue the tool devalues human creativity, exploits copyrighted works, and raises complex ethical questions.
• Hayao Miyazaki's past condemnation of AI-generated art as 'an insult to life itself' has resurfaced, fueling opposition to the trend.
• OpenAI defends its policies, emphasizing safeguards that prevent recreating styles of individual living artists while permitting broader studio styles like Ghibli's.
• The controversy highlights broader issues, including the environmental impact of AI and legal ambiguities surrounding the use of artistic styles.