Who is Hayao Miyazaki? 5 things about the genius behind Studio Ghibli. What did he say about AI animation?

As ChatGPT's Ghibli-style AI image generator goes viral, a video from 2016 resurfaced in which Hayao Miyazaki is seen slamming during an AI demonstration.

The internet can't get enough of Ghibli-style AI images—those dreamy, watercolour-like visuals popping up thanks to OpenAI-owned ChatGPT's latest update. Social media is buzzing with excitement and criticism as well.

Hayao Miyazaki and a still from Spirited Away (2001)

A section of social media users who called artificial intelligence-generated images an insult to the creative mastery of legendary Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki.

After the viral trend, a video from 2016 resurfaced in which Studio Ghibli's legendary director Hayao Miyazaki is seen lashing out during an AI demonstration from staff.

"I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all. I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself," an English translation of his remarks said in the video.

Meet Hayao Miyazaki, the genius behind the iconic Japanese art.

Who is Hayao Miyazaki?

1. Hayao Miyazaki co-founded Studio Ghibli and brought to life enduring masterpieces like ‘Spirited Away’, ‘My Neighbor Totoro’, and ‘Princess Mononoke’.
2. Hayao Miyazaki's film Spirited Away (2001) made history by receiving an Academy Award, becoming the first non-English animated feature to achieve that.
3. While the majority of the industry transitioned to digital, Hayao Miyazaki remained faithful to classic hand-drawn animation, believing it imparts a unique warmth and soul to his films.
4. His films are not merely visually captivating; they convey profound messages related to nature, conflict, and human greed. Whether it’s Nausicaä cautioning against environmental harm or Howl’s Moving Castle examining war, there’s always a larger narrative at work.
5. Miyazaki has “retired” several times, yet the allure of storytelling continues to draw him back. His most recent film, The Boy and the Heron (2023), demonstrates that he still possesses the magic.

Studio Ghibli in Japan declines to comment

As users posted their Ghibli-style images on social media, Miyazaki’s previous comments on AI animation also began to resurface. When Miyazaki was shown an AI demo in 2016, he said he was “utterly disgusted” by the display, according to documentary footage of the interaction. The person demonstrating the animation, which showed a writhing body dragging itself by its head, explained that AI could “present us grotesque movements that we humans can’t imagine". It could be used for zombie movements, the person said.