From extra body parts to swapped genders, AI-generated Ghibli photos that did not come out right are now doing the rounds on social media amid a trend prompted by ChatGPT’s latest feature which allows users to Ghibli-fy their images.
Several social media users have shared bizarre versions of their pictures generated by ChatGPT amid the ongoing Ghibli trend, sparking a debate about the efficiency of artificial intelligence.
One of the most uncanny images circulating online shows a group of women in saris, offering prayers at a ghat with coconuts in their hands. The reimagined picture, however, turned one of the coconuts into the head of a woman.
Last week, ChatGPT launched its latest model GPT4o, which lets free, Plus and Pro users generate high-quality pictures in Ghibli’s signature style with the help of a single prompt. This led to a meme fest online with users reimagining their favourite moments in the dreamy, hand-painted fashion of Ghibli films.
One of the Ghibli-fied photos online shows a newly-wed Bengali couple posing for a picture after their sindoor-daan ceremony. A piece of cloth held by the bride was mistaken as a newborn baby by ChatGPT’s latest feature. “AI is two steps ahead, it can really predict the future yk,” a fan sarcastically commented on X.
Comedian Neeti Palta pointed out that AI cannot replace the legacy of Ghibli. A picture shared by Neeti shows her lifting a barbell with her trainer standing behind her. The regenerated picture added an extra head to her trainer’s body.
While the viral trend has struck a chord with most users on social media, several Ghibli fans have spoken against the idea of using AI to create Ghibli-like images.
Among the many deformities in the AI-generated images is the addition of extra limbs to people present in the original pictures. A picture shared by an X user shows a middle-aged man with three legs.
The image generator even removed a person completely from a picture of a trio and added an extra hand to one of the individuals featured in it.
Some pictures also showed people with their genders swapped in Studio Ghibli aesthetics.
“Sabko pregnant kar diya,” reads the caption of a post shared by an X user to an image which shows AI making all the women look pregnant instead of the one who actually is in the real photo.
Studio Ghibli, known for its quiet, contemplative and hand-drawn animation, was launched by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata and Tokuma Shoten back in 1985.
Miyazaki has two Oscars to his name — one for Spirited Away (2001) and another for The Boy and the Heron (2024), which also won a Golden Globe trophy. The director of the cult Japanese animation studio came out of his retirement in 2023 to direct The Boy and the Heron.