The Great Ghibli Heist
Why AI-generated Ghibli art isn't wholesome as it seems
Hold up, you think the use of artificial intelligence to turn regular images and memes into Studio Ghibli-style illustrations is, ok? Hayao Miyazaki didn't spend decades creating breathtaking animation to be just so it could be overtaken by algorithm to mass-produced soulless illustrations in mere seconds.
I woke up this morning to my social media feed going crazy over Ghiblified images. Fun? Maybe. It is a nice thought to imagine yourself as soft dreamlike aesthetic of My Neighbour Totoro or Spirited Away, but its eerie to see so many going for the machine-produced echo of the real thing flooding your feed. And might I add stealing!
For those not familiar with Ghibli-style of art, it a renowned Japanses animation style that uses rich watercolours and acrylic visuals to narrate the story. They are characterised by warm, soft-coloured environments that evoke a sense of cosiness, often employing a pastel palette with watercolour textures- is now a feature on the latest version of ChatGPT that is promoting its image generation feature.
If this doesn't feel bizzare, here's more to this trend that is using Studio- Ghibli style images rendering- “Ghiblification,” as it’s been coined, has caused a Solana meme coin inspired by the anime studio to skyrocket to a $28.3 million market cap.
Why is no one listening to what the co-founder of the Studio-Ghibli, Miyazaki, himself has to say about the use of AI! In a 2016 documentary that has resurfaced online, when Miyazaki was shown AI generated clips of his anime, he sternly objected to the use of AI, calling it "an insult to life." He added that he'd never use it in his work and felt "we're losing our faith in ourselves".
The Bigger Picture
From appreciating art -something that must be earned, we have come to replicable art that requires a simple prompt and internet connection. We have empowered technological advancements so much that perhaps, it isn't wrong to point out how much we are consumed by instant gratification in this day and age. Naturally, hand-drawn animation like Studio Ghibli style has taken a hit.
Artists who have spent years perfecting their art and established their distinct styles now need to fight the imitability of AI that is precise and speedy. It stands to dilute the brand of hand-drawn animation, making it not only harder to separate the original from the replicated, but from an ethical standpoint it could be seen as curbing creativity. When everything looks Ghibli-like, what remains special about the real Ghibli?
Take for instance, the cult classic memes that the internet loves, post-ghiblification these memes make zero sense! Studio Ghibli isn't just known for their distinctive style of illustrations, it’s the storytelling, the emotions, the expressive characters and the deep connection with the dreamy landscape. Slapping on a "filter" into the frame isn't getting you that. It is reducing someone else's style and artisitic vision into another ephemeral social media trend.
But the cost to the artist by these mass-generated and ownerless AI replicas is profound, both economically and creatively. While AI may not understand the layered storytelling, the deliberate imperfections in illustrations, the warm background and the intended expression on characters' faces, the mere copying would certainly miss the why.
It ultimately raises the question then: If art is meant to capture human experience, what will happen when we leave to a machine to do that for us? How will the AI generated illustrations carry the same soul that artists like Miyazaki create?
So, while at first glance the trend may have seemed fun- turning everyday photos and memes into AI -generated ghiblified illustrations- there is something unsettling about artistic style turning into filter. Arguing that it is a tribute is neither wholesome nor sophisticated. It is a shortcut to get that dopamine hit by plagiarising someone else's labour of love as a prompt to spit out an image in seconds.