Japanese Lawmakers Question AI Art Legality Amid Ghibli-Inspired Image Controversy

In 2025, an interview published more than a decade ago shook up Japanese social networks again: it is a fragment of the July issue of the magazine “Neppuu” (a publication of Studio Ghibli) where the legendary director...

Studio Ghibli AI art sparks more backlash than usual – and for good reason

Studio Ghibli AI art controversy, Hayao Miyazaki AI opposition, OpenAI Ghibli style restrictions, Mike Tyson AI art, AI art ethics, Artist consent AI training, AI vs human creativity, Art style appropriation

Japanese Lawmakers Question AI Art Legality Amid Ghibli-Inspired Image Controversy

As AI art tools continue to evolve, their ability to mimic beloved animation styles has sparked global debates—and Japan is no exception. Studio Ghibli, revered for its hand-crafted storytelling and distinct visuals, has unexpectedly become a focal point in a new legal and ethical debate about AI-generated artwork. In a cabinet session of Japan’s House of Representatives, Representative Masato Imai directly questioned if AI art emulating Ghibli’…

Re-Spirited Away: Can Intellectual Property Law Protect Against OpenAI’s “Ghibli-fication” Trend

When Japanese animator and filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki was asked how he felt about designers using AI to replicate art in 2016, he bluntly responded that the creation was “[a]n insult to life itself.” The Studio Ghibli co-founder prefaced his point by saying, “I am utterly disgusted. If you really want to make this creepy stuff, you can go ahead and do it, but I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all.” Miyazaki’s scathi…