Robot Technology News
ROBO SPACE
Copyright questions loom as ChatGPT's Ghibli-style images go viral
Copyright questions loom as ChatGPT's Ghibli-style images go viral
By Thomas URBAIN
New York (AFP) Mar 28, 2025

The release of the latest image generator on OpenAI's ChatGPT has triggered a flood of online memes featuring images done in the style of Studio Ghibli, the Japanese studio behind classic animated films like "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Princess Mononoke."

The virality of these images, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman even changing his profile picture on X to match the style, immediately raised questions about copyright infringement by the ChatGPT maker, which already faces lawsuits regarding the use of source material without permission.

Since the release on Wednesday, AI-generated images depicting Studio Ghibli versions of Elon Musk with US President Donald Trump, "The Lord of the Rings," and even a recreation of the September 11 attacks have gone viral across online platforms.

On Thursday, the White House took part by posting on X a Ghibli-style image of a weeping alleged felon being handcuffed by a US immigration officer before her deportation.

Originally intended to be available on the platform for free, Altman said the huge success of the new generator was unexpected and meant the tool would remain limited to paid users for now.

It was already possible to generate images with ChatGPT, but the latest version is powered by GPT-4o, the company's highest-performing model, and allows sophisticated results to be obtained through very succinct requests, which was not the case before.

After the viral trend, a video from 2016 resurfaced in which Studio Ghibli's legendary director Hayao Miyazaki is seen lashing out during an AI demonstration by staff.

"I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all. I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself," an English translation of his remarks said in the video.

The trend "is especially insidious and malicious because of how outspokenly scathing Miyazaki has been toward the tech," wrote artist and illustrator Jayd "Chira" Ait-Kaci on Bluesky.

"It's always about contempt for artists, every time," Ait-Kaci added.

OpenAI is facing a barrage of lawsuits over copyright infringements, including one major case with the New York Times and others from artists, musicians and publishers.

Asked by AFP about the latest viral trend, and whether it threatened Studio Ghibli's intellectual property, OpenAI said the company is still fine-tuning its model.

"Our goal is to give users as much creative freedom as possible," a company spokesperson told AFP.

"We continue to prevent generations in the style of individual living artists, but we do permit broader studio styles, which people have used to generate and share some truly delightful and inspired original fan creations," she added.

"We're always learning from real-world use and feedback, and we'll keep refining our policies as we go."

The company is aggressively lobbying the White House and Congress to make the use of copyrighted content by AI companies part of the fair use doctrine.

Fair use allowances already apply to search engines or in the case of satire and memes online, and allow companies to freely use copyrighted material without permission.

Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that OpenAI is close to finalizing a $40 billion funding round led by Japan's SoftBank Group that would be the biggest funding round ever for a startup.

OpenAI has projected its annual revenue could exceed $12.7 billion in 2025, up from $3.7 billion generated in 2024.

tu-arp/aha/dc/jgc

X

Related Links
All about the robots on Earth and beyond!

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
ROBO SPACE
These electronics-free robots can walk right off the 3D-printer
San Diego CA (SPX) Mar 26, 2025
Imagine a robot that can walk, without electronics, and only with the addition of a cartridge of compressed gas, right off the 3D-printer. It can also be printed in one go, from one material. That is exactly what roboticists have achieved in robots developed by the Bioinspired Robotics Laboratory at the University of California San Diego. They describe their work in an advanced online publication in the journal Advanced Intelligent Systems. To achieve this feat, researchers aimed to use the ... read more

ROBO SPACE
New Antenna Technology Targets Drone Swarm Neutralization

AV secures DIU contract to advance autonomous strike drone deployment

Ukraine drones hit Russian energy sites, Kyiv source says

Moscow targeted by 'massive' Ukrainian drone attack

ROBO SPACE
Inner space technology push for next-gen European space microchips

Prospect of copper mine reopening revives tensions in Panama

EU unveils critical material projects to cut China dependence

Young Chinese women find virtual love in 'Deepspace'

ROBO SPACE
SoftBank to acquire US semiconductor firm Ampere for $6.5 billion

Malaysia's Silicon Valley ambitions face tough challenges

SatixFy expands satellite tech supply deals with MDA Space surpassing 10 million dollars

Spiral Motion of Electrons in Organic Semiconductors Paves the Way for Advanced Electronics

ROBO SPACE
WPI researcher to explore efficient uranium extraction from industrial wastewater

Trump floats US takeover of Ukraine's NPPs; Zelensky plays down prospect

Trump floats US takeover of Ukraine nuclear plants

Japan begins its first dismantling of a commercial nuclear reactor

ROBO SPACE
'Bring him home': Philippines migrant workers grapple with Duterte fallout

Iraq says kills senior Islamic State group leader

Iraq repatriates more families from IS-linked Syria camp

U.S., local officials say 'no specific credible' terror threats exist for upcoming Super Bowl

ROBO SPACE
Solar and Wind Dominate New Power Installations in January as Biden Era Concludes

Sweden not doing enough to meet net-zero targets: study

UK energy minister in Beijing seeks to press China on emissions

'More and faster': UN calls to shrink buildings' carbon footprint

ROBO SPACE
Framatome and Perpetual Atomics to Scale Up Space Battery Production for Future Missions

Reusing old oil and gas wells may offer green energy storage solution

800-mn-euro battery factory to be built in Finland

Chinese battery behemoth CATL posts jump in annual profit

ROBO SPACE
Shenzhou XIX astronauts complete third spacewalk outside Tiangong

Hong Kong spearheads lunar robotics initiative for national space program

Joint initiatives to propel China's commercial space industry forward

China advances manned lunar program for 2030 moon landing

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.