The internet is now obsessed with a cute trend reminiscent of the classic animation look of Studio Ghibli, courtesy of OpenAI's new GPT-4o update. People are making cute portraits and memes inspired by Hayao Miyazaki's classic movies, and even tech billionaire Elon Musk has entered the mix. But amid the hype, concerns are raised regarding the tool Musk used, considering his long-standing competition with OpenAI. While many assume ChatGPT fueled the trend, Musk's involvement suggests his own AI, Grok, might be a strong contender in this creative space.
Musk posted a one-of-a-kind Studio Ghibli-style image on X, showing himas a monkey holding the Dogecoin mascot. The post, "Theme of the day," generated quick interest, not only for its aesthetic appeal but also because of its possible meaning. The image generated speculation that Musk had utilized Grok to make it, particularly given his long-standing rivalry with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
GPT-4o 's sophisticated image creation is currently only available on ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Team, and certain subscription plans. This limitation, combined with Musk's public disparagement of OpenAI, suggests he may have looked into other AI programs. OpenAI has also stated that because of high demand, the free version deployment has been pushed back.
Even with the limitations of ChatGPT's free functionality, it is still possible for users to engage in the Ghibli trend. Grok and other AI programs allow users to create similar imagery. Users can enter elaborate text descriptions, like "A peaceful Ghibli-type village at dusk." or upload a current image for Grok to reinterpret. Although Grok's output will not be the same as GPT-4o's, its capability to understand and produce art styles is apparent.
In addition, open-source AI models such as Craiyon, Playground AI, and Deep AI also offer affordable solutions for generating Ghibli-themed images. Users can simply enter text descriptions or upload photographs through these websites, and various artistic interpretations will be provided. Although they will not be able to compete with GPT-4o in photorealistic accuracy, they can accurately capture the style of Studio Ghibli.
Grok, which Elon Musk controls, provides a good alternative to producing Ghibli-style graphics. Users can accomplish this by typing out detailed explanations of the pictures they want to see or uploading existing images for Grok to recreate. Though the output may differ in accuracy from that of GPT-4o, Grok's functionality indicates increased competition in AI-generated art.
The Studio Ghibli AI art phenomenon has taken the internet by storm, highlighting the potency and diversity of new AI technology. While ChatGPT's GPT-4o clearly had a starring role, Elon Musk's involvement and experiments with platforms such as Grok highlight the broadening field of AI art. Regardless of whether subscription services or loopholes are used, users are taking advantage of the possibility of producing their own Ghibli-inspired works, and it is clear that artistic expression using AI is becoming more mainstream.