Ghibli-Gate

When OpenAI launched its new image generation tool this week — native to ChatGPT and powered by the company’s flagship GPT-4o model — it expected excitement. What it didn’t anticipate was a full-blown viral trend and a copyright nightmare.

Within hours, social media was flooded with images mimicking the signature aesthetic of Studio Ghibli, the famed Japanese animation house behind Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and Howl’s Moving Castle. People “ghiblified” everything from personal selfies to memes and even historical events. Some were charming. Others, deeply disturbing.

What began as a playful experiment in style quickly escalated into questions about copyright and creativity in the age of AI.

OpenAI launches image generator to ChatGPT

The new feature, simply named GPT 4o Image Generation, is a major milestone for OpenAI. Unlike previous tools like DALL·E that felt like add-ons, this is fully native image generation, integrated directly into ChatGPT.

In the announcement video, the OpenAI team showed off the model’s ability to generate images with precise text, stylistic consistency, and logical coherence — turning selfies into anime frames, memes into custom art, and product ideas into design mockups. Sam Altman described the release as “one of the most fun and cool things we’ve ever…