'Stop using us': Studio Ghibli and other Japanese studios tell OpenAI

Studio Ghibli

A major Japanese trade body representing publishers, including Studio Ghibli, has urged OpenAI to stop using copyrighted Japanese content to train its AI models without permission. The Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA) sent a letter to OpenAI last week, raising concerns over the unauthorised use of creative works by some of Japan’s most renowned studios.

Studio Ghibli, known for classics like Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro, has reportedly seen its signature art style widely mimicked by AI image generators. When OpenAI introduced ChatGPT’s built-in image tool in March, users began flooding social media with “Ghibli-style” recreations of their selfies and pet photos. Even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman briefly changed his X profile picture to a “Ghiblified” image — a move that drew criticism from Japanese creators.

With OpenAI’s video-generation platform Sora now expanding to more users, CODA is pushing back harder. The organisation said OpenAI must obtain prior consent before using its members’ copyrighted works for machine learning, citing Japan’s stricter copyright laws.

The group’s statement highlights a broader dispute over AI companies’ handling of copyrighted data. OpenAI and others have often trained models on online material under the assumption of “fair use”, a legal concept that remains unresolved in many jurisdictions. In the U.S., recent court cases — including one involving rival Anthropic — have offered mixed outcomes, with judges yet to clearly define the boundaries of lawful data scraping for AI training.

CODA, however, maintains that Japan’s system leaves no room for such ambiguity. “When specific copyrighted works are reproduced or similarly generated as outputs, the act of replication during the learning process may constitute infringement,” it said. “Under Japan’s copyright system, prior permission is generally required, and post-use objections do not exempt one from liability.”

Studio Ghibli’s co-founder Hayao Miyazaki has not commented on the current issue, but his stance on AI-generated art is well known. In 2016, after being shown an AI-driven animation, he said he was “utterly disgusted” and called such work “an insult to life itself.”