OpenAI’s Studio Ghibli Moment: Unpacking AI Copyright Controversies
It’s only been a day since ChatGPT’s new AI image generator went live, and social media is already teeming with AI-generated memes inspired by Studio Ghibli, the beloved Japanese animation studio behind hits like “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Spirited Away.”
Within just 24 hours, users have created Studio Ghibli-style images of notable figures like Elon Musk, characters from The Lord of the Rings, and even President Donald Trump. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has even adopted a Studio Ghibli-style avatar, reportedly generated using the new feature.
OpenAI’s recent development follows Google’s introduction of a similar AI image feature in its Gemini Flash model that had previously sparked a viral trend when it was used to remove watermarks from images. Both OpenAI’s and Google’s features allow users to recreate copyrighted styles simply by typing a text prompt. This accessibility revives concerns regarding several lawsuits against developers of generative AI models. The main question arises: if these companies are training their models on copyrighted works, are they infringing copyright laws?
Evan Brown, an intellectual property lawyer at Neal & McDevitt, indicates that tools like GPT-4o’s image generator currently operate in a legal gray area. He points out that while style itself is not directly protected by copyright, it remains conceivable that OpenAI trained its models on numerous frames from Ghibli films. The legality of such practices falls under ongoing debates about fair use protections.
Ongoing litigation exists, with The New York Times and other publishers actively suing OpenAI, alleging that the company trained its AI on copyrighted material without proper acknowledgment or remuneration. Other AI developers, including Meta and Midjourney, face similar allegations.
In response to these concerns, an OpenAI representative has stated that while ChatGPT does not reproduce the styles of individual living artists, it allows for broader studio styles. Notably, this includes the artistic style of Studio Ghibli’s co-founder, Hayao Miyazaki.
Moreover, users have employed GPT-4o to recreate styles from various studios and artists. One user generated a portrait of Marc Andreessen in the style of Dr. Seuss, and another transformed their wedding photos using Pixar’s aesthetics.
Testing other popular AI image generators, like Google’s Gemini and xAI’s Grok, showed that OpenAI’s latest iteration successfully captures Studio Ghibli’s unique style more accurately than its competitors.
The advancements presented by OpenAI and Google illustrate a significant leap in AI-generated imagery, likely contributing to an increased demand for these new features. In response to this surge, OpenAI has temporarily delayed access to its new tool for free-tier users, citing overwhelming interest. However, the ultimate legality and long-term implications of these technology developments remain to be seen as courts deliberate on the related copyright issues.
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