With Studio Ghibli-style AI images on the rise, esteemed Japanese animator and filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki‘s old remarks about artificial intelligence’s interference in art — what was once deemed a subjective and imaginative expression — have equally caused an uproar on the internet.

The controversy blew out of control after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman changed his X display image to a ‘Ghibli-fied’ version of himself. Announcing the digital transformation online, he drew attention toward ChatGPT’s new image-generation abilities. Soon thereafter, the globe followed in his footsteps with hopes of escaping into the iconic and much-loved meticulously hand-drawn world of the legendary Japanese anime studio.

Co-founded by Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli has birthed emotionally-driven masterpieces like Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbour Totoro, and Grave of the Fireflies. As a result, staunch supporters of Miyazaki and Ghibli banded together against ChatGPT, alleging violation of copyright laws.

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The debate especially became heated as dedicated fans argued that the legendary Studio Ghibli was so committed to the subjectivity of meaningful art that its animators often spent over a year developing a single scene. Its already famously known that the animation team behind a four-second crowd scene of war anime film The Wind Rises took a year and three months to complete its artwork. Contrary to the painstaking efforts of the studio’s artists, ChatGPT only takes seconds to “rip off” the heartwarming anime style and re-produce an imitation.

As Studio Ghibli fans all over the world tried their best to point out the moral implications of the surging Ghibli AI trend, the emergence of a fake ‘cease and desist’ letter has only made matters worse.

‘Cease and desist’ letter goes viral on X

Last week, X user @tj_littlejohn announced a photo sharing app called ‘Gib’ that turns all photos into Studio Ghibli-style images. “Introducing Gib. Instagram but every photo is Studio Ghibli. Today X saw the most photos shared in it’s history and that says something. Join the waitlist now,” he tweeted alongside the plug for the website gib.studio. Hours later, in a follow-up response to the Gib post, he claimed to have received a warning from from the Japanese studio.

“Just got this cease and desist from Studio Ghibli,” he shared on X. “AI creators deserve protection, not punishment. Expression is sacred. Imagination is not illegal If I have to be a martyr to prove that, so be it. I’m assembling a legal team Firms who believe in this fight, reach out.”

The purported legal warning dated March 27, 2025, flagged ‘Gib’ for “unauthorised used of Studio Ghibli Intellectual Property.” An extract of the letter reads, “It has come to our attention that your company had developed and publicly launched an application under the name ‘Gib’, described as a “photo sharing app that turns all photos into Studio Ghibli style images.” This product appears to heavily borrow from Studio Ghibli’s artistic style, branding cues, and thematic presentation, and it references our studio by name in marketing and promotional materials.”

It continued, “Please be advised that this constitutes unauthorised use and misappropriation of Studio Ghibli’s copyrighted works, trade dress, and brand name, and it is likely to cause confusion among consumers regarding endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation — none of which exist.”

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The warning letter is signed off by a team of alleged legal representatives from a firm called ‘Sakura & Hoshino LLP’ with their email listed as legal@sakura-hoshino.com and contact number as +1 (212) 555-7283. X has since added context to the X user’s tweet alluding to the ‘cease and desist’: “This letter is fake… No record for a “Sakura-Hoshino LLP ever existing. The email address is not valid.” The phone number is also believed to be fake.

Amid all the chaotic noise, Ghibli’s present-day first-hand take was missing. According to a March 28 Japanese report, we now have that as well. The beloved studio has officially denied issuing the viral “warning letter.” In response to the emerging debate around the letter’s authenticity, Studio Ghibli told NHK, “We have not issued any warning letter.” Although the letter has been dismissed as a fabrication, the anime giant retained its silence on the matter of AI craze.

On the same day, the X user behind all the ruckus quote-posted the fake ‘cease and desist’ letter tweet, saying that the app ‘Gib’ is fake.