‘An insult to life itself’: Hayao Miyazaki’s scathing take on AI resurfaces amid ChatGPT’s Ghibli craze

Old video of its co-founder Hayao Miyazaki saying AI-generated animation was an “insult to life itself” goes viral.

OpenAI’s newest picture generator has unleashed a flood of Studio Ghibli-style portraits throughout social media, however a resurfaced clip of Japanese animator and Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki condemning AI artwork is reigniting a heated debate on creativity and know-how.
Miyazaki’s outrage: ‘An insult to life itself’
In a 2016 NHK documentary, the visionary behind Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro condemns AI-generated animation. Miyazaki reacted sharply to an AI-generated animation displaying a distorted, zombie-like determine. Addressing the engineers, he says, “I have a friend who is disabled… this is mocking his struggle,” calling the know-how “an insult to life itself.”
“I can’t watch this stuff and find it interesting,” he advised FarOut Magazine. “Whoever creates this stuff has no idea what pain is whatsoever. I am utterly disgusted.”

He didn’t cease there. With quiet depth, Miyazaki delivered a ultimate blow: “If you really want to make creepy stuff, go ahead. I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work. I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself.”
His phrases resurface as OpenAI’s GPT-4o permits customers to create Ghibli-style pictures with easy prompts like, “A Studio Ghibli version of me in a magical forest.” Even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman joined the development, updating his profile image to an AI-generated Ghibli portrait.
The divide: Art or imitation?
While many rejoice the AI-generated artwork as playful, critics echo Miyazaki’s issues: “Miyazaki spent decades perfecting his craft, and now people think typing a prompt makes them artists,” one consumer posted.
Others argue AI “mimics aesthetics but lacks the soul” that defines Ghibli movies.
The core debate
Miyazaki’s rejection of AI displays a broader query—can machines ever replicate the human contact? While AI generates pictures immediately, followers argue that true artistry lies within the imperfections and emotional depth solely human arms can create.
For now, the Ghibli-style AI craze grows—however as Miyazaki’s phrases unfold, the conflict between human creativity and synthetic intelligence intensifies.