OPINION: The Studio Ghibli AI trend is esthetically pleasing at a cost ...
A new AI trend has sparked debate, with users prompting DALL-E, Open AI’s software for image generation, to create cartoon versions of personal images. This led animation fans to begin creating AI-generated art in the style of the legendary animation studio, Studio Ghibli.
The Aesthetic of Studio Ghibli
With resume-boasting Academy awards and other honors, Ghibli is revered for its emotional, thought-provoking stories and unbelievably detailed animation, which is done nearly all by hand.
The AI-generated pictures mimic the style and aesthetic of original Ghibli films but lack many of the fine details found in the real works. For casual fans, it is a fun trend to imagine themselves within the world of Ghibli, but for true fans of Hayao Miyazaki’s work, it is deeply disrespectful.
Hayao Miyazaki's Stance
Ghibli’s creator, Hayao Miyazaki, is regarded as a legend in animation and art in general. He is respected for his meticulous attention to detail and weaving creative social commentary into the plots of his movies. From his creative process to the uniqueness of his characters' personalities and designs, Miyazaki personifies the artist's spirit with every detail, which masterfully captures emotion.
Miyazaki previously stated he does not want to use AI in his work and is disgusted at animation generated by AI being called “art.”
Impact Of Artificial Intelligence Chatgpt For Creating Ai Art ...
Ghibli’s creator, Hayao Miyazaki, is regarded as a legend in animation and art in general. He is respected for his meticulous attention to detail and weaving creative social commentary into the plots of his movies. From his creative process to the uniqueness of his characters' personalities and designs, Miyazaki personifies the artist's spirit with every detail, which masterfully captures emotion.
The Challenge of AI in Art
AI cannot comprehend pain — the same way it cannot comprehend love or any other human emotion because it is not human. Without human emotion, there can't be human expression; we are left with a hollow copy of what a machine is guessing to be the human experience.
“I am utterly disgusted,” he said in a video. “If you really want to make creepy stuff, you can go ahead and do it, but I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all. I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself.”
The AI Studio Ghibli trend is an insult to art and artists ...
AI cannot comprehend pain — the same way it cannot comprehend love or any other human emotion because it is not human. Without human emotion, there can't be human expression; we are left with a hollow copy of what a machine is guessing to be the human experience.
Art and Human Expression
This issue may seem harmless, and many may not view AI in art as an issue at all and see it as a more efficient way to create content we enjoy. To those people, I ask them to consider Miyazaki's final comment first.
Art is the expression of one's creativity through various mediums to convey emotion. Creativity, both natural and honed, allows artists to express relatable emotions and connect to shared human experiences.
The Importance of the Artistic Process
Do we want our food served in under five minutes, the cast to immediately take the stage after intermission or art that otherwise would take hundreds of hours of pure dedication to be made in a few seconds. What happens in the years an artist spends painting a canvas or a musician uses to create songs?
Art is not created in the conception of an idea or in its final product, it is molded by joy, anger, love, sadness and all the other emotions an artist uses.
So when you see your little brother and his buddies post a picture that makes them look like extras from “My Neighbor Totoro,” don't just feel bad for Miyazaki; feel bad for humanity.
It's important to remember that, despite its large impact, we are in the infant stages of AI development.
Art is not just about the end product; it's about the process, the emotions, and the human experience it captures.
In a few short years, we’ve used AI to replace animators, imitate our favorite musicians, and even write movie scripts. This trend of replacing humans with machines isn't aesthetically pleasing; it should make you fear a dystopia where human expression is considered too time-consuming to appreciate.
