Studio Ghibli Isn’t Entirely Opposed To AI As Fans Assumed, Goro Miyazaki Reveals

Thanks to a viral video of Hayao Miyazaki famously labeling an AI animation demonstration an “insult to life,” fans have widely assumed that Studio Ghibli is vehemently opposed to the technology.

However, Goro Miyazaki has told Bloomberg in their latest interview that the studio isn’t completely against the technology.

With AI rapidly advancing, it has managed to spread its roots into almost every industry, especially creative, as more and more organisations and studios are adopting the technology to solve their bottlenecks. Even in such times, a lot of fans looked at Ghibli as a flab-bearer of the anti-AI sentiment.

Director Goro Miyazaki, however noted that the studio did not particularly have any views, positive or negative, about AI.

In fact, he pointed out that if legendary director Isao Takahata, known for helming The Tale of Princess Kaguya and Grave of the Fireflies, were alive today, he would have been the first to try the artificial intelligence out.

“He was someone who was very interested in the latest technology,” Goro said. “We’re not denying, or feeling negative, about AI technology itself.”

According to Goro, anyone who placed Ghibli at the forefront of anti-AI narratives was just twisting the facts for their own convenience.

Goro Miyazaki Explains Why Ghibli Was Silent On OpenAI Controversy:

The director also revealed why Ghibli did not take issue with the OpenAI “Ghiblification” controversy.

In March 2025, OpenAI released a new version of its ChatGPT model, which let users create images as Ghibli-style knockoffs. Before long, the internet was inundated with “Ghiblified” selfies, family photos, and famous movie scenes.

While there was significant backlash regarding the trend for copying Ghibli’s iconic style without compensation or consent, the studio’s executives were content to watch the saga play out. One of the company’s executives even went with the flow by getting involved in the trend.

Goro pointed to the doujinshi culture in Japan, where fans make art derived from their favorite manga, anime, or video game characters, explaining why the AI craze did not seem like a big deal.

“We didn’t think much of it, to be honest,” Goro said. “If someone started making a lot of money out of it, then it would be a problem.”

More than AI, the studio is concerned with the situation surrounding streaming.

Global audiences have access to Ghibli films via streaming platforms like Netflix and also HBO Max. However, viewers in Japan do not have that luxury currently, often having to rely on television broadcasts or purchasing DVDs.

While viewers have voiced their frustrations, Ghibli executives are in no rush to sell domestic streaming rights.

“I work for a TV network, and we know that linear TV is losing its viewership,” the studio’s CEO Kenichi Yoda said. “But at the same time, with the Ghibli films, when they go on TV, it becomes this whole event. Everybody is watching that film at the same time wherever they are in Japan. And then it becomes this whole celebration, this big festival almost.”

The elders at Studio Ghibli are skeptical to the streaming model, as revealed by Goro, with Toshio Suzuki being one of them. And so, the executives are waiting, agreeing with the higher-ups on their decision.

“Suzuki believes streaming services will soon become no good,” Goro Miyazaki said. “He believes they will fail. And then, he’s kind of excited, waiting for that to happen.”

Founded in June 1985 by directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata alongside producer Toshio Suzuki, Studio Ghibli has produced numerous critically and commercially recognized animated films, including Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and Princess Mononoke.

The studio’s most recent feature release, The Boy and the Heron, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 96th Academy Awards in 2024, marking the studio’s second Oscar win following Spirited Away in 2003.

Source: Bloomberg