Hayao Miyazaki Calls AI an Insult to Life
A Legendary Director’s Outrage
A video from 2016 of Studio Ghibli’s legendary director Hayao Miyazaki lashing out during an AI demonstration from staff recently went viral amid looming debate about copyright and artificial intelligence (AI), particularly ChatGPT.
“I am utterly disgusted. If you really want to make creepy stuff, you can go ahead and do it. I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all. I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself,” he said in the video.
The Controversy Surrounding AI-Generated Images
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, adding that it is always about contempt for artists, every time.
The video resurfaced following the release of the latest image generator on OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which has triggered an online flood of memes featuring images done in the style of Studio Ghibli, the Japanese studio behind classic animated films such as Howl’s Moving Castle, My Neighbour Totoro and Princess Mononoke.
Copyright Infringement and Fair Use
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.
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.
A Peep into OpenAI’s Future Plans
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.
According to media reports, OpenAI is close to finalising a US$40 billion (RM177.32 billion) funding round led by Japan’s SoftBank Group, which would be the biggest funding round ever for a startup.
Conclusion
Hayao Miyazaki’s remarks highlight the ongoing debate about the role of AI in the creative industry, with many artists and creators expressing concerns about the potential for AI-generated content to infringe on their rights.
FAQs
What is ChatGPT? ChatGPT is an AI-powered image generator developed by OpenAI, capable of creating sophisticated images through succinct requests.
What is the controversy surrounding AI-generated images? The controversy surrounds the potential for AI-generated images to infringe on the rights of artists and creators, with concerns about copyright infringement and fair use.
What is Hayao Miyazaki’s stance on AI? Miyazaki has expressed strong disapproval of AI technology, calling it an insult to life and stating that he would never wish to incorporate it into his work.
What are the implications for OpenAI? OpenAI is facing a barrage of lawsuits over copyright infringement, and is aggressively lobbying the White House and Congress to make the use of copyrighted content by AI companies part of the fair use doctrine.