'Ghibli-style AI images have neither fun nor meaning'… Ghibli Studio chairman expresses first opinion

A 'Ghibli-style' profile photo made with ChatGPT by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. X screengrab Regarding the so-called 'Ghibli-style artificial intelligence (AI) images' that swept the world last year, Studio Ghibli (Ghibli) co-founder and chairman Toshio Suzuki (78) said they have 'neither meaning nor fun,' adding, 'AI cannot imitate Ghibli.' In an interview with the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun published on the 6th, Suzuki was asked about last year's craze for Ghibli-style AI images and stated, 'Some kinds of animation can be made easily with AI, but if you have a certain level of knowledge, you will see right through all of it.' He added, 'At the time, there were many interview requests, but I thought everyone would get bored quickly, so I turned them all down,' saying, 'That is how it turned out.' Suzuki is a founding member who, together with master animator Hayao Miyazaki (85), built the 'Ghibli kingdom.' He also serves as the producer overseeing Ghibli productions. In March last year, the release of OpenAI image-generation model 'ChatGPT-4o' served as a catalyst for a global trend of creating images in the style of Ghibli animation. If one supplied a portrait and commanded, 'Turn it into Ghibli style,' images resembling characters from Miyazaki's works such as and would pop out instantly. At the time, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman even expressed concern that 'graphics processing units (GPUs) are melting,' as new ChatGPT users surged explosively. Meanwhile, some raised suspicions that ChatGPT had trained on Ghibli content without permission. Ghibli, however, remained silent. In November last year, the Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA), whose members include Japanese content companies such as Ghibli and Bandai Namco, sent an open letter to OpenAI stating, 'Do not use member companies' content for AI training without permission,' but this is the first time a Ghibli representative has made a separate statement. Suzuki asserted that AI cannot imitate Ghibli animation. He gave an example: 'The seemingly simple motion of Totoro's (a character from ) belly denting when you press it with a finger cannot be reproduced with computer graphics (CG) or AI,' then said, 'For reasons unknown, Hayao Miyazaki and computers, AI are not a good match.' Miyazaki is known to prefer an analog approach of drawing by hand on paper instead of digital work. While making his recent film , he cut himself off from external information, not using a smartphone and not reading newspapers or watching TV. Suzuki said, 'Miyazaki does not know of the existence of generative AI in the first place. He dislikes it if I talk even a little about what is happening in the world,' adding, 'But his works pierce deeply into contemporary society. He instinctively knows what is going on now.' Since , which he unveiled in 2023 after retracting his fourth retirement, there has been no news about Miyazaki's next work. Suzuki said, 'He has the desire to make one, but whether he can make it is another matter. That is a matter of the body,' while also saying, 'He is thinking about all sorts of strange things. Miyazaki himself says, 'I am not quite sure what it is.''