Ghiblification, Generative AI, and the Copyright Questions Behind Training Data

[1]

In early 2025, OpenAI launched its image generation tool, GPT-4o, sparking social media trends that quickly flooded the internet with AI-generated images.[2] One of the most popular trends that emerged from this frenzy was transforming photos into images mimicking the iconic and well-loved aesthetic associated with Studio Ghibli.[3] This “Ghiblification” phenomenon quickly took over the internet, with fans of the animation studio uploading images from memes to personal family photos rendered in the artistic style of Studio Ghibli.[4] OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also participated, temporarily using a Ghibli-style portrait as his profile photo on X (formerly Twitter).[5]

“An insult to life itself.”[6]

Studio Ghibli’s co-founder, Hayao Miyazaki, known for his Academy Award winning animated films Spirited Away (2001) and The Boy and the Heron (2023), has previously rejected the use of AI in his art.[7] After being pitched an AI-powered animation model in 2016, Miyazaki found the tool to be “utterly disgusting,” saying he wished to never incorporate such technology into his work, and that use of such tools is “an insult to life itself.”[8] Nearly a decade later, the same technology he opposed would be adopted by his own fans.[9]

Possible Legal Actions

This trend powered by OpenAI’s large language model has created a copyright nightmare raising the question of ownership over AI-generated artwork developed using someone else’s art style.[10] Generally, although an artist’s specific works, such as characters or films, can be copyrighted, artistic style cannot.[11] This distinction stems from the idea-expression dichotomy doctrine in copyright law where the underlying ideas of a work are not eligible for copyright protection but the expression of those ideas are.[12] Courts have held that artistic style and typical motifs in a genre are outside the scope of protection.[13] Studio Ghibli needs to show that the AI-generated images are substantially similar to their works or that they constitute unauthorized derivative works.[14] Therefore, the animation studio would likely face difficulty bringing a copyright claim against OpenAI for its production of Ghibli-inspired AI images.[15] Currently, it is unclear whether OpenAI has used Studio Ghibli’s works to train its AI models.[16] However, if it is found that OpenAI had used copyrighted works by Studio Ghibli to do such training without a license or permission, a finding of copyright infringement is possible.[17]

OpenAI may be able to claim fair use to shield itself from liability.[18] For instance, in 2024, authors brought a class action lawsuit against Anthropic, alleging its AI model, Claude, was trained using millions of copyrighted books without explicit permission.[19] The court ruled for Anthropic, stating that usage of the books was allowed under fair use and that such training was “quintessentially transformative.”[20] However, in the same case, the court ruled that Anthropic’s use of pirated works did not fall under fair use.[21]

Although Studio Ghibli itself has yet to make any moves or comments, the Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA), the Japanese trade association of which Studio Ghibli is a member of, has demanded OpenAI to refrain from using Japanese contents for training purposes.[22] CODA stated that it observed Sora 2 generating outputs closely resembling Japanese content and argued that this suggests Japanese works were used as training data.[23] CODA further contended that such use would be inconsistent with Japanese copyright law absent permission from right holders.[24] Sora 2 runs on an opt-out system; in other words, rather than OpenAI gaining permission to use copyrighted works, IP owners must “opt-out” if they do not wish for their work to be used to train the AI model.[25] CODA has stated that such a system allows companies like OpenAI to avoid liability for any copyright infringement.[26]

Beyond the Law

Studio Ghibli faces various legal obstacles if they decide to bring action against OpenAI or other companies producing generative AI models capable of replicating their art style.[27] Although many of the copyright issues that increased usage of generative AI has created are still highly disputed from the legal end, what is clear is the severe lack of protection that artists have from having their works exploited and used by generative AI.[28] Outside of a solely legal perspective, it is also integral to assess the ethics of using AI to mimic and replace the hand-drawn animation and human creations of Studio Ghibli.[29] Fans of the animation studio should consider the harm they are causing and the irony of using AI to replicate the raw human creations by Studio Ghibli: films that encourage viewers to embrace imagination.

References

[1] Photo by Afif Ramdhasuma, A Little Girl is Standing in the Grass, Unsplash (Sep.13, 2021), https://unsplash.com/photos/a-little-girl-is-standing-in-the-grass-zli4eDX3IPQ.

[2] See Dani Di Placido, The AI-Generated Studio Ghibli Trend, Explained, Forbes, (Mar. 27, 2025), https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2025/03/27/the-ai-generated-studio-ghibli-trend-explained/.

[3] See Todd Spangler, OpenAI CEO Responds to ChatGPT Users Creating Studio Ghibli-Style AI Images, Variety, (Mar. 26, 2025), https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/openai-ceo-chatgpt-studio-ghibli-ai-images-1236349141/.

[4] See Matt O’Brien & Sarah Parvini, ChatGPT’s Viral Studio Ghibli-style Images Highlight AI Copyright Concerns, AP, (Mar. 28, 2025), https://apnews.com/article/studio-ghibli-chatgpt-images-hayao-miyazaki-openai-0f4cb487ec3042dd5b43ad47879b91f4 .

[5] See Spangler, supra note 3.

[6] See O’Brien & Parvini, supra note 4.

[7] See Patricia Bauer, Studio Ghibli, Britannica Money, https://www.britannica.com/money/Studio-Ghibli (last visited Jan. 23, 2026).

[8] See O’Brien & Parvini, supra note 4.

[9] See id.

[10] See Eur. Innovation Council and SMEs Exec. Agency, Studio Ghibli vs AI: tribute or copyright infringement?, Intell. Prop. Helpdesk, (Apr. 15, 2025), https://intellectual-property-helpdesk.ec.europa.eu/news-events/news/studio-ghibli-vs-ai-tribute-or-copyright-infringement-2025-04-15_en.

[11] See Jacob Shamsian, Studio Ghibli has Few Legal Options to Stop OpenAI from Ripping Off Its Style, Bus. Insider, (Mar. 28, 2025), https://www.businessinsider.com/studio-ghibli-openai-chatgpt-image-feature-copyright-law-2025-3.

[12] See 17 U.S.C. § 102(b).

[13] See id; see also Satava v. Lowry, 323 F.3d 805, 811 (9th Cir. 2003) (highlighting recurring motifs for artistic expression are outside scope of copyright protection if lacking “quantum of originality”).

[14] See Arnstein v. Porter, 154 F.2d 464, 468 (2d Cir. 1946); see also 17 U.S.C. § 101.

[15] See id.

[16] See O’Brien & Parvini, supra note 4.

[17] See id.

[18] See Blake Brittain, AI Copyright Battles Enter Pivotal Year as US Courts Weigh Fair Use, Reuters, (Jan. 5, 2026), https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/ai-copyright-battles-enter-pivotal-year-us-courts-weigh-fair-use-2026-01-05/.

[19] See Bartz v. Anthropic PBC, 787 F. Supp. 3d 1007, 1014 (N.D. Cal. 2025).

[20] See id., at 1022.

[21] See id., at 1033.

[22] See Todd Spangler, Trade Group Representing Studio Ghibli, Other Japanese Companies Tells OpenAI to Stop Using Their Content to Train Sora 2 Video Generator, Variety, (Nov. 3, 2025), https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/studio-ghibli-openai-sora2-japanese-trade-group-coda-letter-1236568751/.

[23] See Content Overseas Distrib. Ass’n, CODA Issues Written Request to OpenAI Regarding Sora 2 (Oct. 28, 2025), https://coda-cj.jp/en/news/817/.

[24] See id.

[25] See Spangler, supra note 22.

[26] See Content Overseas Distrib. Ass’n, supra note 23.

[27] See Shamsian, supra note 11.

[28] See Eur. Innovation Council and SMEs Exec. Agency, supra note 10.

[29] See Vikrant Rana & Nitika Sinha, From Hand-drawn to AI-generated Ghibli: The Battle Over Artistic Integrity, IP Stars from Managing IP, https://www.ipstars.com/NewsAndAnalysis/from-hand-drawn-to-ai-generated-ghibli-the-battle-over-artistic-integrity/Index/10616 (last visited Jan. 23, 2026).