The purpose of artificial intelligence is to make life and work easier for everyone but to accomplish the highest form of AI, one thing the developers need a lot of is data.
AI and machines are usually built to mimic human beings and even all life. We take data process it and it produce an output. It goes even further when the living thing is as intelligent as human beings, the data we take influences our next decision, aka Intelligence.
How can AI advance to be intelligent enough to serve its purpose without data? Impossible.
But here's where the issue comes from, who's data is the AI model going to train on? And is the owner of the data ok with his or her data being used?
This is precisely why AI companies are getting lawsuits fired at them from almost all angles.
We are seeing AI models getting better, more accurate, more consistent with their results and most importantly, looking more creative.
You can ask chatgpt or other AI models to generate just about any kind of image and it'll give you some good results.
But now, the lines between creativity and theft is getting very blurry.
Have you heard of Studio Ghibli?
It is a Japanese animation studio based in Koganei. They've got a big issue with OpenAi's GPT 4o latest updates.
It's now possible for anyone using ChatGPT alone, with just a simple prompt to generate Ghibli style images. Clearly, the ability to do that was as a result of the model being trained with Studio Ghibli data without the company's permission.
What makes it much worse is that OpenAI is promoting this feature using the brand Studio Ghibli has established which took them years to do.
They promote the feature by telling users that they can now generate Ghibli style images with simple prompts. That's certainly going to rub the company on the rough edge.
A copyright debate is on going because of this move. People are posting on social media talking about what just happened. Was it the right thing for Sam Altman and OpenAI to do or did they just cross a line with copyright laws?
One thing a YouTuber made mention of is that regardless of whether AI can make Ghibli images or not, the soul behind the images made by the original company is something AI can never mimic.
Hayao Miyazaki, the cofounder of Studio Ghibli is not someone that appreciates AI at all and he believes it will only result in less creativity in the human race. In his words, we may be be losing trust in our own abilities.
His work is primarily about patience and about hands carefully crafting movement frame by frame. The work the company produces is filled with human emotions and imperfection, so much so that it feels more alive.
The problem is that AI will erase this feeling and this concept. AI has not been programmed to understand hesitation or the subtle mistakes that give an image heart.
The result AI produces is something that looks like Ghibli but lacks its essence.
I took some time to generate a couple of Ghibli style images myself just to share them with you. Below are screenshots of me generating the images straight from Chatgpt.
The Prompt I used: Ghibli image of a tech billionaire
The Prompt I Used: A Girl walk on the street but in Ghibli style
I see why users would love this feature and I understand the mission Sam Altman had to incorporate this. Who wouldn’t want to see themselves in a Ghibli film? That could be the immediate future of OpenAI Sora video generator.
We just have to admit it, the aesthetic is beautiful, inviting and nostalgic. But the question I have for you is what happens when it becomes too easy to make? When a single prompt can create thousands of variations, all indistinguishable from one another?
A mass production of something that once required mastery and sometimes pure talent will reduce its impact and it wouldn't look that special anymore.
As an AI purist I believe we need to be concerned with ethics more now than ever so we don't destroy other beautiful things in life while we develop the tech itself.
Making this an AI feature basically turns artistry into a Snapchat filter, a skin to be worn in a game or photo editor and can easily be discarded.
Miyazaki feels very disrespected by what's happening and like I said, this man didn't like AI at all. He even once called AI an insult to life itself.
Yeah, a bit too extreme man, but I think he has a point anyways.
The part where I disagree with anyone that is Anti-AI is when they say AI will ruin life. It won't ruin life, it wasn't meant to. It was meant to result in innovation and more efficiency and productivity.
The problem comes from when we let AI do all the work humans are supposed to do. AI is intended to be a tool to help humanity not to replace us in everything we do.
I wish there was a way for the AI companies to train their models without using other people's data but that's not going to happen. Like I said before, even we humans need human data and information to get smarter, more knowledgeable and more intelligent enough to perform more tasks.
I guess one of the things content creators complain of is the permission AI companies refuse to request from them before taking their data.
That's wrong though but I'm also thinking that's the downside of uploading your content online, almost anyone has access.
The copyright lawsuits will probably be a lot this year lol. Since Trump is pro AI I doubt the Japanese company will win against an American AI company as huge as OpenAI.
What do you guys think about this situation? Can OpenAI stand by the excuse of fair use policy or if Ghibli should file a lawsuit, will they win against OpenAI?
I started doing research into this subject after reading an awesome blog from a Hive veteran @vikisecrets
You can also read the blog to get more insights guys.