What started as a wholesome internet trend has turned into a full-blown AI frenzy. OpenAI’s latest image generation feature let users transform their favorite memories into Studio Ghibli anime-inspired visuals—and things escalated quickly. Now, with demand surging and servers struggling to keep up, OpenAI is being forced to hit pause, just as the Ghibli-style wave hits peak popularity.
When Miyazaki meets machine learning
It all began when users discovered they could recreate the dreamy, watercolor charm of Studio Ghibli using ChatGPT’s new native image generator, powered by its GPT-4o model. Inspired by the works of Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki, people began feeding their photos and childhood memories into the model, prompting it to "Ghiblify" their lives.
From reimagined Bollywood scenes to dreamy portraits of pets and family, the Ghibli aesthetic exploded across social media. Even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman joined in, updating his profile pic to a Ghibli-style illustration, adding more fuel to the trend.
OpenAI hits a limit—literally
The sudden spike in popularity has put noticeable strain on OpenAI’s systems. CEO Sam Altman took to X (formerly Twitter) to share that the company’s GPUs are being heavily taxed by the volume of image generation requests. The new feature, which lets users create and edit visuals directly within ChatGPT, was quickly pushing technical limits.
To keep things running smoothly, OpenAI has introduced temporary rate limits, especially for users on the free tier. For now, free users are capped at three image generations per day, and some prompts may be declined as the system manages demand.
The increased load isn’t just a technical concern. Running high volumes of GPU-based requests consumes significant energy, raising questions about the environmental cost of AI-powered creativity. Balancing access with sustainability is a growing challenge as generative tools become more mainstream.
A delay in full rollout
Due to the increased usage, OpenAI has also delayed the full rollout of the feature for free users. While Plus, Pro, and Team users have already started using the tool, Altman confirmed that the free tier rollout is on hold until things are stabilized.
Even users with early access have noticed slowdowns—image generation takes longer, and complex prompts are occasionally being denied, as the team works to fine-tune moderation and processing efficiency.
A growing debate about AI art
As the trend continues, so does the debate. An old clip of Hayao Miyazaki criticizing AI-generated animations resurfaced online, sparking discussions about the role of authenticity and emotion in art. While some say the trend disrespects the essence of Ghibli’s hand-drawn legacy, others see it as a celebration of the style in a new digital medium.
What’s next?
Whether OpenAI can scale fast enough to meet demand is still unclear. But one thing’s for sure—AI-generated art has hit a cultural moment. And as the Ghibli-fication of the internet shows no sign of slowing down, OpenAI will need to find new ways to balance creativity, ethics, and compute power.
