Studio Ghibli director warns AI can’t replicate emotional depth

AI may soon be capable of producing entire animated films, warns Goro Miyazaki, son of the iconic Hayao Miyazaki and managing director at Studio Ghibli.

Amid a viral trend of AI-generated images mimicking Ghibli’s hand-drawn style, Goro reflected on both the potential and risks of generative technology. While automation could ease Japan’s animator shortage, he believes the emotional depth that defines Ghibli’s work cannot be replicated by machines.

Speaking from Ghibli’s atelier in Tokyo, Goro acknowledged that AI could soon produce full-length features, yet questioned whether audiences would accept creations lacking human touch.

He also noted that the new wave of tools may unlock creative opportunities for previously overlooked talent.

Nonetheless, he stressed the irreplaceable vision of artists like his father, whose Oscar-winning final film The Boy and the Heron continues to embody themes of loss and mortality, drawn from postwar experience.

OpenAI, whose ChatGPT image generator has fuelled the online Ghibli-style craze, claims to block imitations of living artists while allowing broader studio aesthetics.

As AI redefines content creation, Goro warned against losing the uniquely human elements, both light and dark, that have given Studio Ghibli’s films their enduring depth and resonance.

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