The Ghibli AI Trend: 'Artistic Revolution or Privacy Nightmare?'
Darshana Sugathan
It’s only been a few days since OpenAI unexpectedly disrupted the AI image world with its Ghibli-style image generation. Ghibli is everywhere now on social media. Iconic scenes from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007), Baahubali (2015), and Hera Pheri (2000) have been transformed into Ghibli-style artworks. Even Dharma Productions has joined the trend, reimagining Tina, Rahul, Anjali, Bunny, Naina, Avi, Aditi, Rocky, and Rani in Ghibli-style artworks. From WhatsApp profile pictures to every corner of social media, Ghibli-style images are dominating the internet.
For those just catching wind of this, "Ghibli" comes from the Italian word for a hot desert wind and was originally the name of an Italian WWII aircraft (Caproni Ca.309 Ghibli). Hayao Miyazaki adopted the name for his studio, intending it to symbolize a new wave in animation. The Ghibli studio's impact extends well beyond Japan, inspiring generations of artists and animators globally. Its films are celebrated for their captivating storytelling, stunning visuals, and profound themes of nature, identity, and human resilience.
Bengaluru Traffic Police have put a creative spin on the viral Ghibli trend to spread awareness about driving rules. The animated clip, featuring a rider executing a wheelie, carried a message: "Even in the whimsical world of Ghibli, wheeling is no fairytale—it’s dangerous and punishable. For your safety and the safety of others, follow traffic rules. Ride responsibly."
If you're not captivated by the internet’s flood of Ghibli-style images, you might be more interested in the debate surrounding their artistic and ethical implications. Many artists around the world believe that Ghibli-style or any AI-generated artwork lacks the soul and depth that human artists bring to their creations. Since AI models are trained on vast datasets that include original artworks, some argue that they derive too heavily from existing styles, raising concerns about copyright infringement. Does this also raise the question of whether it is ethical to use AI for art?
Digital privacy activists like Luiza Jarovsky on X are raising alarms, alleging that OpenAI could be leveraging this trend to amass thousands of personal images for AI training. While users enjoy the feature, critics caution that they may unknowingly be sharing fresh facial data with OpenAI, fueling significant privacy concerns.
OpenAI is yet to release a statement regarding the safety of personal data for users engaging with the Ghibli-style AI image generation. As AI-generated art grows in popularity, will companies like OpenAI address these ethical and privacy dilemmas, or will they continue pushing the boundaries of creativity at the cost of personal data?