AI’s Sloppy Spite Against Ghibli and Art

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is not new, but it is definitely enhancing its presentation. As of late, there has been a sudden craze for the use of generative AI specifically, which are systems designed to create new content based on other media models.

Though it revels in its popularity now, there has been concern that its usage as an because it only picks apart and generates content created by others. Despite this, people are constantly prompting for information, essays, photos, etc. Engines are being used everyday, whether it be through ChatGPT, Grammarly, Gemini, Grok and OpenAI, in this case.

On March 25, 2025, Grant Slatton posted a picture on X (formerly Twitter) depicting him and his wife on the beach generated to mimic the Studio Ghibli style (X, @GrantSlatton), and the post quickly went viral. Though many eagerly partook in the sudden trend, pushback came through almost immediately.

Artists have been the most hesitant on AI, especially when it comes to digital images labeled as “art.” Their main critique on AI users is the fact that an AI “has no soul.”  Many believe that “AI art” lacks real intrinsic value outside of an initial shock factor due to a lack of personalization between each generation.

On the other side of the app, many users were quick to voice their distaste of the trend, especially in defense of Hayao Miyazaki, founder of Studio Ghibli, and the statements he made in regards to AI generated images. Many quote Miyazaki on finding AI-generated animation to be an “insult to life itself,” especially because it is his work being used as a model for these engines.

Even then, netizens only doubled down on the trend and started targeting artists themselves, taking their works and running them through an AI to “fix” them. It has gotten to a point where even Elon Musk, owner of X, Sam Altman, founder of OpenAI, and the White House’s X account itself participated in the AI Ghibli trend.

The word Ghibli has been tainted in the minds of many artists ever since. Still, they continue to create in spite of AI users showing no interest in what they have to say. Many Twitter artists have migrated to other apps like BlueSky in an effort to keep their joy of creation alive.

Image Courtesy of GetArchiveNet.