Recently, a controversy arose on social media when a fake document, supposedly from Studio Ghibli, began circulating, accusing an AI image generation app of infringing its copyright.
Thus, the alleged warning stated that the app, which transforms photos into Studio Ghibli-style illustrations, would have to be removed under threat of legal action. However, Ghibli completely denied this warning, clarifying that it had not issued such a letter.
Alleged letter from Ghibli Studio
In short, the story began when many users started sharing AI-generated images that mimicked the freehand animation style for which Studio Ghibli is so famous. The trend then exploded after OpenAI announced it had integrated new image generation capabilities into its ChatGPT platform, allowing users to easily create stylized artwork that imitates Ghibli's visual style.
On the other hand, on March 26, an X (formerly known as Twitter) user posted about the launch of an app that transforms any photo into a Ghibli-style illustration. But the following day, the same user shared an image of what he claimed was an official warning letter from Studio Ghibli, stating that the app violated the studio's copyright and that legal action would be taken if it was not removed.
Fake news spreading on the internet
Consequently, this “warning” spread rapidly across social media, and several media outlets, including NHK , began reporting that the studio had formally intervened. However, when NHK contacted Ghibli, the studio categorically denied issuing the letter. “ We did not issue any warning letter ,” they said, calling the document a forgery.
Although the studio has denied the incident, it has not commented on whether it will take any action! This connection to the unauthorized use of its visual style in AI-generated content could still generate controversy in the future.
For now, it seems that this whole misunderstanding was just a case of viral misinformation. Thus, it remains a sign of growing copyright concerns in the age of artificial intelligence.
So guys, has anyone posted this anime-style photo on social media yet?