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OpenAI's viral Studio Ghibli moment highlights AI copyright concerns | TechCrunch

Mar 26, 2025 - techcrunch.com
OpenAI's new AI image generator, integrated into ChatGPT, has quickly gained popularity for its ability to create images in the style of Studio Ghibli, among others. This feature allows users to upload existing images and have them recreated in different artistic styles, sparking a wave of AI-generated memes across social media. The release follows Google's similar AI image feature in its Gemini Flash model, which also went viral. These advancements have reignited legal concerns about copyright infringement, as companies like OpenAI and Google may be training their models on copyrighted works without proper authorization.

The legal implications of using AI to replicate artistic styles remain uncertain, as style itself is not explicitly protected by copyright law. However, the potential use of copyrighted materials for training AI models is under scrutiny, with ongoing lawsuits against OpenAI and other AI companies like Meta and Midjourney. OpenAI claims its models avoid replicating the style of individual living artists but allow for broader studio styles. Despite the legal ambiguity, the new image generation tools have driven a surge in usage, prompting OpenAI to delay the rollout to free-tier users due to high demand.

Key takeaways:

  • OpenAI's new AI image generator can create images in the style of Studio Ghibli, sparking a surge in AI-generated memes on social media.
  • The legal implications of AI models training on copyrighted works remain uncertain, with ongoing lawsuits questioning whether this practice falls under fair use.
  • OpenAI's image generator is noted for its ability to accurately replicate Studio Ghibli's style, outperforming other AI image generators like Google's Gemini and xAI's Grok.
  • OpenAI has delayed the rollout of its new image tool to free-tier users due to high demand, highlighting the growing interest in AI-generated content.
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