ChatGPT causes a stir with Studio Ghibli-style generated images

For a few days now, social media has been taken over by a avalanche of images that refer to the unmistakable aesthetic universe of Studio Ghibli. These are not new films or traditional artistic homages, but rather a phenomenon driven by the latest ChatGPT-4o feature, OpenAI's latest model. This trend, which began as a simple curiosity, has quickly evolved into a massive presence, generating both excitement and controversy in the artistic and technological worlds.

The feature that makes this trend possible is a tool integrated into ChatGPT, based on technology from image generation using artificial intelligence. Thanks to it, any user can upload a photograph and obtain a completely transformed version in just a few seconds, with soft colors, stylized lines and a nostalgic atmosphere reminiscent of films like "My Neighbor Totoro" or "Spirited Away." This feature, while simple to use, has brought to the table Intense discussions about the limits of artificial creativity and the appropriation of established visual styles.

An unmistakable style that causes a sensation

The charm of the generated images lies in their ability to capture the essence of classic Japanese animation. Through an autoregressive approach, the AI ​​system manages to reinterpret faces, landscapes, or even entire scenes with surprising stylistic coherence. What began as a technological curiosity has become a viral phenomenon fueled by the creativity of thousands of users, who publish their Ghibli-style versions on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok or X. For those interested in the art of animation, there are resources on programs to animate drawings that can be useful.

The most striking thing is not only the visual result, but the ease of generating these images: no advanced design knowledge required, as the system acts as a visual assistant that adapts the original images to the desired style with just a few instructions. Although there's no specific "Ghibli" filter within the tool, the transformations achieved using terms like "Japanese animation style from the 80s and 90s" or "cartoon with soft lines and warm colors" achieve remarkably faithful results.

How the technology behind Ghibli-style AI works

The basis of this function is the GPT-4o model, which combines multiple input modalities, including text and image. Unlike previous models, it has the ability to handle up to 20 different elements simultaneously in a single image, allowing you to build complex scenes without losing visual coherence. In addition, is able to integrate text into images and interpret visual contexts even if they contain multiple narrative layers.

OpenAI has developed this tool with a focus on stylistic versatility, allowing users to specify styles such as watercolor, cyberpunk, or futuristic. But it's Studio Ghibli's style that has captured the public's attention the most due to its aesthetic familiarity and emotional charge. After all, The visual universe created by Hayao Miyazaki has deep cultural roots. that connects with audiences of all ages.

A practical guide to creating your own Ghibli images

For those who want to try this tool, the process is quite straightforward. You only need to follow a few steps within the ChatGPT environment to complete the conversion:

1. Open ChatGPT and log in with a Plus subscription account., as the feature is currently available only to paying users.
2. Upload your image by clicking on the “+” sign and selecting the corresponding option.
3. Enter an appropriate message, such as: “Make a cartoon version of this image using traditional 80s Japanese animation style.”
4. Adjust with additional instructions, such as “soft colors, blurred background like in classic Japanese animation films.”
5. Download the generated image and edit it or make adjustments again if the result is not what you expected.

In some cases, directly using the name “Studio Ghibli” may generate a warning response from the platform, so it’s a good idea to use indirect descriptions to circumvent potential restrictions.

Controversy: A tribute or an artistic invasion?

With the rise of this trend, criticism has also emerged from the artistic world. Hayao Miyazaki himself, in statements from previous years, He has openly opposed the use of artificial intelligence for creative purposes.In a documented interview, he came to define the use of these technologies in animation as “an insult to life itself”, claiming that they lack emotion, context and human sensitivity.

This rejection has been rescued by many on social networks, who consider it contradictory and even disrespectful that thousands of users are generating images that imitate the aesthetics of Ghibli, precisely with a technology that the Japanese director hates. Even so, the platform has not issued any drastic restrictions and the trend continues without major obstacles, which fuels the debate on stylistic appropriation and ethics in the use of AI-generated creative resources. In addition, it is important to know that there are different animation genres that can influence this phenomenon.

Furthermore, it has been noted that These images should not be used for commercial purposes without first reviewing potential copyright or image rights conflicts, as they could infringe intellectual property if marketed or distributed for profit.

Far from calming down, this fashion continues to capture the attention of all types of users: from anime fans to tech personalitiesFigures like Sam Altman himself, CEO of OpenAI, have contributed to the phenomenon by publishing his own versions with this aesthetic. Despite the discontent of some in the artistic community and the Japanese studio's most purist fans, virality seems to outweigh loyalty to Ghibli's cultural legacy in this case.

The debate is far from over, and the trend of transforming personal images, movie scenes and even memes into Japanese animation-style versions demonstrates the enormous capacity of attraction that the Ghibli aesthetic awakensWith just a few clicks, you can achieve striking results that spark nostalgia and curiosity in equal measure, while raising questions about respect for authorship, the authenticity of art, and the limits that artificial intelligence should have in the creative field.