ＣｈａｔＧＰＴのジブリ風画像に著作権問題浮上

【ニューヨークＡＦＰ＝時事】米新興企業オープンＡＩの生成ＡＩ（人工知能）「ＣｈａｔＧＰＴ」が公開した最新の画像生成機能によって、日本のアニメーション制作会社スタジオジブリ風の画像を使ったミームがインターネット上で急増している。さらに、オープンＡＩのサム・アルトマン最高経営責任者（ＣＥＯ）自身がＸ（旧ツイッター）のプロフィール画像をジブリ風に変更したことで、著作権侵害の疑いに注目を集める結果となっている。（写真は、米オープンＡＩの最高経営責任者〈ＣＥＯ〉、サム・アルトマン氏〈左〉）
　ＣｈａｔＧＰＴの最新の画像生成機能が２６日に公開されて以来、インターネット上ではスタジオジブリ風に表現されたイーロン・マスク氏やドナルド・トランプ米大統領の肖像、ハリウッド映画「ロード・オブ・ザ・リング」、あるいは２００１年米同時多発攻撃を再現したＡＩ生成画像などが急速に拡散している。
　２７日には米ホワイトハウスもこの流れに加わり、移民当局の職員に手錠をかけられ、泣きながら国外退去させられる容疑者を描いたジブリ風画像をＸに投稿した。
　画像生成機能は当初は無料提供を予定していたが、アルトマン氏によると、予想外に大きな成功を収めたため当面、有料ユーザーのみに限定されることになった。
　このトレンドによって再び注目されているのが、スタジオジブリの創設者、宮崎駿監督の２０１６年の動画だ。この動画で宮崎監督は、スタッフによるＡＩデモンストレーションに対し、「僕はこれを自分たちの仕事につなげたいとは全然思いません。極めて何か生命に対する侮辱を感じます」と激怒している。
　オープンＡＩは、米紙ニューヨーク・タイムズやアーティスト、ミュージシャン、出版社などからの著作権侵害訴訟の嵐に直面している。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2025/03/28-18:51）

The release of the latest image generator on OpenAI's ChatGPT has triggered an online flood of memes featuring images done in the style of Studio Ghibli, the Japanese studio behind classic animated films like My Neighbor Totoro and Princess Mononoke.
The virality of these images, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman even changing his profile picture on X to match the style, immediately raised questions about copyright infringement by the ChatGPT maker, which already faces lawsuits regarding the use of source material without permission.
Since the release on Wednesday, AI-generated images depicting Studio Ghibli versions of Elon Musk with US President Donald Trump, The Lord of the Rings, and even a recreation of the September 11 attacks have gone viral across online platforms.
On Thursday, the White House took part by posting on X a Ghibli-style image of a weeping alleged felon being handcuffed by a US immigration officer before her deportation.
Originally intended to be available on the platform for free, Altman said the huge success of the new generator was unexpected and meant the tool would remain limited to paid users for now.
It was already possible to generate images with ChatGPT, but the latest version is powered by GPT-4o, the company's highest-performing model, and allows sophisticated results to be obtained through very succinct requests, which was not the case before.
After the viral trend, a video from 2016 resurfaced in which Studio Ghibli's legendary director Hayao Miyazaki is seen lashing out during an AI demonstration by staff.
I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all. I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself, an English translation of his remarks said in the video.
The trend is especially insidious and malicious because of how outspokenly scathing Miyazaki has been toward the tech, wrote artist and illustrator Jayd Chira Ait-Kaci on Bluesky.
It's always about contempt for artists, every time, Ait-Kaci added.
OpenAI is facing a barrage of lawsuits over copyright infringements, including one major case with the New York Times and others from artists, musicians and publishers.
The company is aggressively lobbying the White House and Congress to make the use of copyrighted content by AI companies part of the fair use doctrine.
Fair use allowances already apply to search engines or in the case of satire and memes online, and allow companies to freely use copyrighted material without permission.
Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that OpenAI is close to finalizing a $40 billion funding round led by Japan's SoftBank Group that would be the biggest funding round ever for a startup.
OpenAI has projected its annual revenue could exceed $12.7 billion in 2025, up from $3.7 billion expected this year.