Hayao Miyazaki might have seen this one coming long before AI art was even a thing. “I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work,” he had said a few years ago about AI being used as a tool to animate. The two-time Academy Award winner even went further: “I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself.” The visionary filmmaker responsible for popularizing Studio Ghibli (the film company which he co-founded) and its particular style of animation must be disheartened to see his life’s work being used as a passing trend. But here we are anyway.
The man who gave us Laputa: Castle in the Sky back in 1986 has only ever created pure masterpieces since. Think My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away—the list goes on. If you’re an avid anime or manga fan like this writer, you already know that every single one of his films isn’t just visually stunning—it’s filled with heart, soul, and emotions that stick with you long after the credits roll. And that is where the problem lies.
AI-generated Ghibli-style art has taken over the internet, particularly X, in the past few days, and everyone—literally everyone—is hopping on the trend. People are posting AI-curated versions of themselves, and their loved ones using Open AI’s GPT-4o model. Even Open AI’s CEO Sam Altman jumped in on the trend, replacing his profile picture with a Studio Ghibli-style AI-generated avatar. And now Mike Tyson has joined in the scores of netizens posting Ghibli-style AI images. AI can definitely mimic the color palettes and the art style of Studio Ghibli, based on existing images. But what it can’t do is capture the depth of emotions, the small, human nuances that make Miyazaki’s work so powerful.
And yet, when Tyson posted his AI-generated Ghibli-style portrait, the reactions were… well, let’s just say they were something else. It all happened yesterday when Mike Tyson hopped on the trend. “My happy place,” he captioned his AI-generated image. The image shows him in a brown turtleneck, holding a white pigeon, lovingly, with both hands. However, not everyone was happy with the image. “Billionaire can’t afford $40 art commission,” a user quipped while sharing the image.
Another person took it a bit further in their response to the person sharing the post. “Mike Tyson is bankrupt, bruh,” the user mocked. While it is true that Mike Tyson did declare bankruptcy back in 2003. However, he is doing extremely well today with a net worth of almost $20 million.
Then came the more practical takes. One user asked, “Why pay for something that an app can do for free?” which, a fair point, but not exactly the heart of the issue. Meanwhile, another fan had a much cooler idea: “An anime of Iron Mike would be absolutely goated.” Now that is a take we can get behind.
But, of course, not all comments were lighthearted. Some took the moment to slam the entire art community, like one particularly harsh remark: “Why pay some lgbt person to take 1-4 business days when I can make my slave chatgpt do it in less than 5 min?” And then, there were those who just couldn’t resist making fun of Tyson himself. One user mocked his speech, writing, “My happy plathe,” mimicking Tyson’s characteristic lisp.
As of now, Studio Ghibli hasn’t publicly commented on the trend, but the absence of an explicit licensing deal with AI developers leaves room for speculation about future legal action. As courts continue to grapple with AI-related copyright cases, the “Ghiblification” craze highlights a broader issue: how to balance technological innovation with the rights of original creators like Miyazaki in an era where AI can mass-produce art with just a few clicks. But it seems, until a resolution is arrived at, people will be having their fun.
That being said, did you jump on this trend too, like Mike Tyson? What are your thoughts on AI-generated Ghibli-style art?
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