Sun Apr 13 07:50:00 UTC 2025: ## ChatGPT’s Image Generator Overwhelms, Sparks Copyright Debate

**London, UK** – OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4o, with its newly released image generation tool, has exploded in popularity, shattering user records but also overwhelming the company’s servers and sparking a copyright controversy. The tool, which allows users to transform photos into various styles, including those reminiscent of Studio Ghibli and Mattel’s Barbie, saw user numbers surpass 150 million in April, according to Similarweb.

This surge in popularity, fueled by viral trends like AI-generated Barbie dolls and “Ghiblified” images, prompted OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to publicly plead with users to reduce their image generation activity, citing immense strain on the company’s GPUs. Altman’s pleas followed reports of slow service, delayed releases, and system instability.

The tool’s capabilities extend beyond stylistic transformations, enabling the creation of realistic images, logos, and diagrams from text prompts. However, this success has come at a cost. The energy consumption required to power the AI model is significant, with the training of GPT-4 alone estimated to have consumed the equivalent daily electricity of tens of thousands of households.

The viral success of the AI-generated images, particularly the Barbie doll trend (even embraced by Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene), raises concerns about copyright infringement. The widespread “Ghiblification” of images, transforming them into the style of Studio Ghibli animations, has prompted questions about the legality of mimicking the distinctive artistic style of Hayao Miyazaki and his studio. While Studio Ghibli has yet to publicly comment, Miyazaki previously expressed disgust at the technology. Artist Karla Ortiz, currently suing other AI image generators for copyright infringement, criticized OpenAI’s actions as exploitative.

Legal experts note the complexity of the copyright issue, pointing out that while “style” itself isn’t typically copyrightable, specific, identifiable elements within a work of art might be. OpenAI maintains that it is taking a conservative approach, preventing the generation of images in the style of individual living artists while allowing broader studio styles. The company is monitoring user activity and feedback to refine its policies. Studio Ghibli has yet to respond to requests for comment.

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