by AI filter as Hayao Miyazaki’s
A new Studio Ghibli AI trend has gone viral online and fans are now resurfacing Hayao Miyazaki’s damning comments about AI.
If you’ve been anywhere near social media lately, you’ve probably noticed that people are using AI to generate Studio Ghibli versions of themselves. Using OpenAI’s most recent image-generation update on ChatGPT, people are giving the software prompts to transform photos into animations in the style of Studio Ghibli films like Spirited Away.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the internet is now flooded with AI Studio Ghibli-style images. However, fans are coming together to point out that Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki has previously spoken out against AI.
In the 2016 docuseries 10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki, there’s a viral scene where a group of animators show Hayao a video of an AI animated zombie. The presenter says: “This movement is so creepy and could be applied to a zombie video game. Artificial intelligence could present us with grotesque movements that we humans can’t imagine.”
Reacting in disdain, Hayao then says: “I can’t watch this stuff and find [it] interesting. Whoever creates this stuff has no idea what pain is whatsoever. I am utterly disgusted. If you really want to make creepy stuff, go ahead and do it.”
He then added: “I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all. I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself.”
The clip has since been shared all over X/Twitter, TikTok and Instagram with people calling out the AI trend.
I remember this clip of the Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki documentary when he says AI generated art is an “awful insult to life”.
But when was last time when @OpenAI showed they respected other people’s art or anybody’s life. pic.twitter.com/gwJTcEHxOZ
— Jen Zhu (@jenzhuscott) March 26, 2025
As it stands, Hayao is yet to comment directly on the new trend. We’ll update you if he does.
