OpenAI’s new image-generating update swept the internet off its feet, with people using their pictures to create stunning Studio Ghibli-style portraits. Driven by the new GPT-4o model, the feature became viral, and social media is filled with AI-generated portraits of friends, relatives, pets, and even movie characters. The trend was so rapid that even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had to intervene, urging users to move slowly as his team needed some rest.
How Grant Slatton Ignited the Ghibli-Type Frenzy
The viral trend has an obvious beginning – Seattle software engineer Grant Slatton. When Open AI released its image-generator function, Slatton posted a Ghibli-type image of his wife and dog on X (formerly Twitter). His tweet, which read, “tremendous alpha right now in sending your wife photos of y’all converted to studio Ghibli anime,” was soon picked up by users.
His tweet not only generated discussions throughout the internet but also made it into a Business Insider post. This prompted millions of users to copy his concept, making their own Ghibli-style portraits. His comment section was quickly filled with creative AI versions of his post, with one fan writing, “You started a new lifestyle,” and another telling him, “Grant, every person I know is creating, posting, and sharing Ghibli anime pictures. You created the cutest monsters.”
Controversy Behind the Trend
But not everybody is happy to see the sudden increase in AI-generated artwork. Some of critics complain that the technology is disrespectful to the work of the original artists. Still, Slatton’s post has almost 50 million views and over 45,000 likes.
Open AI Expands Access to the Image-Generation Feature
Meanwhile, Open AI has opened access to its image-generating feature, which had only been reserved for paid Chat GPT subscribers earlier. Even free users are now able to make their own Ghibli-like portraits, although with reduced use. Sam Altman took to the new feature’s popularity, announcing that the update earned the company a million users in merely an hour.