AI and Studio Ghibli: A Tribute or a Threat?

image from freepik

Studio Ghibli's artistic style is instantly recognizable—soft hand-painted landscapes, colorful, whimsical characters, and a warmth that connects with the humanity of life. It captures all these elements beautifully, but recently, AI-generated art has risen and is beginning to replicate Ghibli's visuals with unnerving consistency. Some regard these AI generated creations as a homage to Hayao Miyazaki's legacy. Other voices, however, have referred to the imagery as a threat to the spirit and life of his work. Miyazaki himself hasn't been shy about his feelings towards AI-generated art. In a conversation with a journalist that went viral, he referred to AI-generated animation as "an insult to life itself" and went on to say that art has to be from the heart—based on the emotional experience about how deeply you were engaged in the artistic endeavor. Given this framing, we may ask ourselves how broad the debate will be regarding the recent flood of AI-generated Ghibli-style images. The images are fashioned in the Ghibli look but are devoid of heart or life, storytelling, or the painstaking care that we have come to expect from Ghibli films.

The emergence of AI in the creative world presents a larger conversation: whether AI is a resource for creative inspiration or an easy way for people to make art without the authentic human experience. AI does allow artists to navigate new possibilities in the arts, experiment with styles, and break boundaries but when it’s taking on the signature of an artist’s work or creativity, it becomes ethically questionable. For example, if an AI can create a “Ghibli-like” image in seconds, what does that do to all of the practice and artistry that went into making that image authentically? And moreover, where is the line between inspiration and appropriation?

Additionally, there is the bigger question of impact. We are already producing marketing content, films, and even book illustrations with AI rather than hiring human individuals to make, and with the advancement of technology, how these tools are utilized holds ramifications. If corporations can create “Ghibli-like” art without hiring artists, is this the end of opportunities for real illustrators? Or, does this force artists, illustrators, and designers to create art in ways that AI cannot replicate? In the end, the Studio Ghibli AI trend is ultimately really not about nostalgia, it is about the future of art. AI or any technology may recreate the aesthetic of Ghibli but it cannot recreate the human spirit, which makes that art alive. And perhaps, that’s what makes true art irreplaceable.

References

Parvini, M. O. a. S. (2025, March 28). ChatGPTs viral Studio Ghibli-style images highlight AI copyright concerns. Opb. https://www.opb.org/article/2025/03/28/chatgpt-s-viral-studio-ghibli-style-images-highlight-ai-copyright-concerns/

Beres, D. (2025, March 28). Hayao Miyazaki’s AI Nightmare. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2025/03/studio-ghibli-memes-openai-chatgpt/682235/

Desk, T. T. (2025, March 29). “An insult to life itself”: Hayao Miyazaki’s critique of AI art goes viral as Ghibli-style trend sweeps the internet. The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/etimes/trending/an-insult-to-life-itself-hayao-miyazakis-critique-of-ai-art-goes-viral-as-ghibli-style-trend-sweeps-the-internet/articleshow/119595418.cms

NDTV News Desk. (2025, March 29). "Nothing Really Matters Anymore": Fans Upset Over Studio Ghibli-Style AI Art. www.ndtv.com. https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/explained-why-studio-ghibli-style-ai-art-is-getting-backlash-on-social-media-8037989