Images of Pokémon generated by artificial intelligence (AI) in the style of Studio Ghibli have gone viral.
On Tuesday, Facebook page The Art or AI uploaded a series of AI-generated art under the description, “What if Studio Ghibli created Pokémon?”
The 30 photos depicted different Pokémon characters reimagined by AI in the artistic style of Studio Ghibli. The post has garnered over 1,400 reactions and 4,200 shares as of this writing.
Select photos were re-uploaded to Twitter by user @TheGhibliFamily on Thursday, quickly reaching over 145,500 likes and 26,600 retweets.
Some Pokémon fans expressed their enjoyment of the photos, while many others criticized the use of AI.
Many Twitter users, such as user @LostTenshi_04, shared a viral clip that shows Hayao Miyazaki’s negative opinion of AI to critique the images.
With ongoing AI development, artists have continuously critiqued the use of AI in art.
As digital art has become increasingly accessible for little time and effort, artists have questioned the future of their careers and raised ethical concerns — including that of human effort, plagiarism and consent.
