When OpenAI last month released a new image generator, DALL-E 2, public criticism poured in. With some tweaking, this tool can produce creations that eerily capture the unmistakable artistry of the beloved Studio Ghibli aesthetic. Hayao Miyazaki co-founded Studio Ghibli, which is known around the world for its dreamy animation style. You can find this charm in classic films such as “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Spirited Away.” OpenAI’s implementation of AI has raised troubling questions about the legality of AI-generated art. That’s particularly striking in light of the fact that the company is currently embroiled in lawsuits for using copyrighted works without permission.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, pictured above, recently made a curious move. It used to be illustrated with a Studio Ghibli-style image, probably generated by GPT-4o’s native image creation tool. This move has quickly done an excellent job of showcasing just what this new tool can do. People are already saying it produces the closest facsimiles of Studio Ghibli’s signature style. As intellectual property lawyer Evan Brown explained, copyright doesn’t protect style in and of itself, no matter how glaring the similarities. In rebuttal, Wright argues that OpenAI is not violating any laws through the generation of these images.
This issue is still hotly contested since, like OpenAI’s tool, the legality of these tools is murky. The studio then uses its AI-trained models to reproduce broader art styles – like comics or realism. It doesn’t duplicate the styles of specific contemporary living artists. OpenAI's recent delay in rolling out the image tool to free-tier users due to high demand indicates the public's keen interest in the technology.
This controversy is not isolated to OpenAI. Similar lawsuits have been filed against other leading AI companies, including Meta and Midjourney, for similar causes of action. Just last month, Google’s Gemini flash model was crucified. Users quickly realized they could leverage its powers to erase watermarks from photos, creating a viral storm of watermark erasing.
OpenAI’s DALL·E tool has already produced AI-generated pictures in the iconic Studio Ghibli style. It has included household names and fictional characters, such as Elon Musk, members of “The Lord of the Rings” fellowship, and most recently President Donald Trump even after his legal indictment. Social media feeds are overtaken by these AI-assisted memes, a testament to the tool’s pervasiveness and popularity.