OpenAI created an AI-generated art filter that mimics the distinctive style of Studio Ghibli films. The filter has since gone viral, sparking some controversies over AI art and pushing server capacities to their limits.

Miyazaki’s Style

A BI reporter used OpenAI's tool to generate a Ghibli-style image of Sam Altman with OpenAI's logoEffie Webb:OpenAI's 4o tool
A BI reporter used OpenAI’s tool to generate a Ghibli-style image of Sam Altman; Photo: OpenAI’s logoEffie Webb/OpenAI’s 4o tool

OpenAI’s latest image-generation tool is powered by the advanced GPT-4o model and can create detailed, hand-painted visuals in Hayao Miyazaki’s style. Users can simply use a text prompt, and the software will generate an image based on what the user wrote.

Fans and users around the world are getting creative – reimagining anything from modern pop culture icons to memes to historical events in the iconic and nostalgic anime style.

One point of controversy regarding the new filter involves Miyazaki’s long-held public opposition to AI art. A 2016 video has resurfaced of the filmmaker reacting with disgust to AI art, calling the image “an insult to life itself” and stating that he would never integrate such technology into his work.

“Melting” GPUs

Memes rendered in Studio Ghibli style; Photo: via X (@heyBarsee)
Memes rendered in Studio Ghibli style; Photo: via X (@heyBarsee)

Another unexpected outcome of the filter has fallen on OpenAI’s GPUs, which are struggling with rate limits and long processing times due to the high demand. CEO Sam Altman has jokingly remarked that the company’s GPUs are “melting” under the increased traffic.

AI-generated images, especially those with the level of detail indicative of the Studio Ghibli style, require significant computational resources. Differing from traditional image processing, AI models need to analyze vast datasets, apply complex artistic techniques, and render thousands of minuscule details pixel by pixel. This means a single image request requires billions of calculations across specialized processors called GPUs (Graphics Processing Units).

Whereas CPUs handle general computing tasks, GPUs are designed for parallel processing. OpenAI’s GPUs have been running near full capacity, forcing the company to introduce temporary rate limits on free-tier users to prevent system overload.

Though OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has asked users to slow down image generation, ChatGPT’s growth is at an all-time high. The platform has gained one million new users every hour since it introduced the new AI art filter.

Altman announced the substantial growth in a post on X, saying, “The ChatGPT launch 26 months ago was one of the craziest viral moments I’d ever seen, and we added one million users in five days. We added one million users in the last hour.”