Only Hayao Miyazaki Should Be Allowed to Turn People Into Pigs

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Adoring Studio Ghibli films often signifies having a deep affection for Hayao Miyazaki, and loving Miyazaki means recognizing and valuing the painstaking efforts of the Japanese animation team who meticulously hand-draw most of what audiences see in movies such as “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Howl’s Moving Castle”. Every intricate detail, like a perfectly cooked egg or gentle blush, was created by an artist’s own hand – sometimes at the expense of a sore wrist or cramped forearm. Miyazaki once emphasized in a memo about his film “Porco Rosso”, where a cool pig battles fascists, that “we must treat every character with respect. We must embrace their quirks. It’s essential to steer clear of the mistaken belief that to create a cartoon is to make something more absurd than oneself.

Artificial intelligence (AI) doesn’t originate from the natural world; rather, it’s AI that is being creatively expressed on Twitter. On March 25th, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, posted an image featuring himself and fellow OpenAI scientists Gabriel Goh and Prafulla Dhariwal in a style reminiscent of Studio Ghibli, depicting them as tech-savvy characters.

Two weeks after Altman declared OpenAI’s short story writing wasn’t impressive, his subsequent statement about integrating images into ChatGPT is particularly disheartening as he describes this development as a “loving labor.” It’s clear that the creators admire the aesthetic of Studio Ghibli films, but there seems to be no recognition or appreciation for the filmmaker who initially exposed them to those visuals. Now, users can effortlessly ask ChatGPT to mimic the style of Studio Ghibli on any image, potentially devaluing a craft that once demanded countless hours and still does today.

Miyazaki has consistently expressed his dislike for computer animation and AI art. While some computer animation has been used in a few of his films since Princess Mononoke, the director has voiced his criticism of it without mincing words in a 2016 documentary on NHK. In the episode, he stated, “Those who create this kind of work have no understanding of pain whatsoever. I am utterly repulsed by it.” He further added, “If you truly wish to create eerie content, feel free to do so. I would never dream of using this technology in my work. I believe that using such technology is an affront to life itself.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=ngZ0K3lWKRc

In the video, Miyazaki appears neither angry nor offended, instead showing signs of exhaustion and irritation. An OpenAI representative communicated to 404Media that their aim is to offer users maximum creative liberty. Users indeed have this freedom – they can learn to sketch, animate, write scripts, create music, or direct their own projects. The watering down of the Studio Ghibli aesthetic isn’t just a contradiction of Miyazaki’s original vision; it taints other artistic works as well.

In the 1960s, prior to founding Studio Ghibli together with Isao Takahata, Miyazaki stood side by side in union activism at Toei Doga animation studio, striving for reduced work hours and improved wages. Today, advancements in AI are undermining these very same labor rights that were fought for decades ago. The notion of being supportive of both workers’ rights and AI is a contradiction, as AI tends to devalue human labor, making employees less desirable in the market and easier targets for underpayment. Despite Studio Ghibli encountering labor disputes in recent times, its origins lie in progressive, pro-labor ideologies.

round faces, bright eyes, and sincere expressions of joy. Even Ben Affleck, depicted as despairing and smoking, has been transformed into an adorable version of himself. However, this trend might not last long as people seem to be quickly moving on to the Muppets, reflecting the fast-paced nature of this form of creativity.

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2025-03-28 01:54