If you open Instagram right now, you'll see Ghibli-style images everywhere, but they’re not from any actual films. Instead, you’ll find AI-generated Ghibli versions of influencers, movie stars, politicians, and even pets. So, what’s happening?
This surge in anime-style portraits comes from OpenAI’s latest update to ChatGPT, which introduced an image-generation feature that creates art reminiscent of Studio Ghibli classics.

For those unfamiliar, Studio Ghibli is a legendary Japanese animation studio known for its breathtaking, hand-drawn films. Founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki, the studio has produced some of the most beloved animated films in history, blending fantasy, emotion, and deep storytelling.

On Tuesday, OpenAI announced the integration of an image generator into GPT-4o, allowing ChatGPT to create AI-generated images independently.

People have been transforming their profile pictures, pets, and even historical figures into Ghibli-style characters, complete with soft pastel tones and expressive, oversized eyes. Even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman joined the trend, updating his X (formerly Twitter) profile picture to a Ghibli-style version of himself. He humorously commented:
"be me >grind for a decade trying to help make superintelligence to cure cancer or whatever >mostly no one cares for first 7.5 years, then for 2.5 years everyone hates you for everything >wake up one day to hundreds of messages: ‘look i made you into a twink ghibli style haha.’”

Currently, the Ghibli-style image generator is available only to users on ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Team, and select subscription tiers. Altman mentioned that due to overwhelming demand, OpenAI had to delay the rollout for free-tier users
If you don’t have access to OpenAI’s image generator, don’t worry, there are other options. Free alternatives like Gemini, GrokAI, Craiyon, and Artbreeder, as well as platforms offering free trials, allow users to generate similar AI art without paying for a subscription.

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