The newest image generator on OpenAI's ChatGPT has sparked a surge of memes featuring artwork created in the style of Studio Ghibli, the Japanese studio known for iconic animated films such as My Neighbor Totoro and Princess Mononoke.

The widespread popularity of these images has raised concerns about copyright violations by the makers of ChatGPT, who are already dealing with lawsuits related to the unauthorized use of source material.

Since its launch, AI-generated images portraying Studio Ghibli versions of various public figures and scenes have gained significant traction across social media platforms.

The White House joined the phenomenon by sharing a Ghibli-style image on X, previously known as Twitter.

OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, updated his profile picture on X to reflect the style and noted that the unexpected popularity of the new generator means it will temporarily remain available only to paid users.

This latest iteration is driven by GPT-4o, the company's most advanced model, which enables the generation of sophisticated results from brief prompts.

A video from 2016 has resurfaced featuring Studio Ghibli's renowned director Hayao Miyazaki articulating his strong aversion to artificial intelligence technology, claiming it is an affront to life itself.

OpenAI is currently facing multiple lawsuits for copyright infringement, including cases involving the New York Times as well as claims from artists, musicians, and publishers.

The company is advocating with the White House and Congress to incorporate the use of copyrighted content by AI firms into the fair use doctrine.

Fair use provisions already extend to search engines and online satire or memes, permitting companies to utilize copyrighted material freely without obtaining permission.

OpenAI anticipates that its annual revenue could surpass $12.7 billion by 2025, a significant increase from the projected $3.7 billion for this year.