Following the release of ChatGPT’s new image-generation tool, user activity has surged; millions of people have been drawn to a trend whereby uploaded images are inspired by the unique visual style of Studio Ghibli.
The spike in interest contributed to record use levels for the chatbot and strained OpenAI’s infrastructure temporarily.
Social media platforms were soon flooded with AI-generated images styled after work by the renowned Japanese animation studio, known for titles like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro. According to Similarweb, weekly active ChatGPT users passed 150 million for the first time this year.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the chatbot gained one million users in a single hour in early April – matching the numbers the text-centric ChatGPT reached over five days when it first launched.
SensorTower data shows the company also recorded a jump in app activity. Weekly active users, downloads, and in-app revenue all hit record levels last week, following the update to GPT-4o that enabled new image-generation features. Compared to late March, downloads rose by 11%, active users grew 5%, and revenue increased by 6%.
The new tool’s popularity caused service slowdowns and intermittent outages. OpenAI acknowledged the increased load, with Altman saying that users should expect delays in feature roll-outs and occasional service disruption as capacity issues are settled.
The viral use of Studio Ghibli-inspired AI imagery from OpenAI’s ChatGPT has raised concerns about copyright. Legal experts point out that while artistic styles themselves may not always be protected, closely mimicking a well-known look could fall into a legal grey area.
“The legal landscape of AI-generated images mimicking Studio Ghibli’s distinctive style is an uncertain terrain. Copyright law has generally protected only specific expressions rather than artistic styles themselves,” said Evan Brown, partner at law firm Neal & McDevitt.
Miyazaki’s past comments have also resurfaced. In 2016, the Studio Ghibli co-founder responded to early AI-generated artwork by saying, “I am utterly disgusted. I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all.”
OpenAI has not commented on whether the model used for its image generation was trained on content similar to Ghibli’s animation.
