Toshio Suzuki, Chairman and Producer of Studio Ghibli, recently commented on generative AI. He believes that while AI can easily mimic specific animation styles, it cannot truly replicate Hayao Miyazaki's artistic expression, making so-called "Ghibli-style" AI images largely meaningless to the studio.
In 2025, AI-generated images in the "Ghibli style" briefly sparked widespread attention. Toshio Suzuki stated that he received numerous interview requests at the time but declined them all, judging that the trend would soon fade. Although Studio Ghibli never issued an official response, the hype quickly subsided.
Suzuki pointed out that anyone with common sense can tell the difference between AI-imitated works and genuine Ghibli animations. In his view, such imitations hold little significance for Ghibli and are hardly interesting.
When discussing AI's generation process, he compared its method of searching for the "best answer" from vast amounts of online information to Hayao Miyazaki's creative approach. Suzuki revealed that since completing The Boy and the Heron in 2023, Miyazaki has been secluded, dedicating himself to his next project, and may not even fully understand what generative AI is.
Regarding Ghibli's position in the AI era, Suzuki remarked sarcastically that simply inputting "Ghibli will evolve into a cultural entity, demonstrating the significance of human artistic creation" into an AI would naturally yield a polished answer. However, he emphasized that Hayao Miyazaki's artistic expression cannot be genuinely replicated by AI or computer animation.