Yesterday, the artificial intelligence company OpenAI dropped GPT-4o, an AI model that doesn’t just generate text but also generates images.

Naturally, the internet immediately put it to work, churning out memes, experiments and, most notably, Studio Ghibli-inspired AI art.

Within hours, people were Ghibli-fying everything from selfies to historical photos, while others questioned whether this was a creative revolution or just another fleeting tech novelty.

Let’s take a look at what unfolded, as well as how to use it for your own creations.

What Is ChatGPT-4o’s New Image Generation Tool?

On March 25th, 2025, OpenAI rolled out GPT-4o, calling it an "omnimodal" AI, which is a fancy way of saying it tries to juggle text, images and even audio all at the same time.

Unlike older ChatGPT versions that handled these things separately, 4o is said to be faster, sharper and less likely to turn your request for "a cat in a hat" into a cursed, many-legged nightmare.

One of the first things Sam Altman and GPT-4o devs Gabriel Goh and Prafulla Dhariwal highlighted in their demo for the tool was how this image generator can create perfect text inside images

For image generation, 4o ditches the slower diffusion-based methods (like DALL-E) in favor of an autoregressive approach, which helps it maintain context and take feedback.

This means that when you feed it a photo of your cat, you can ask it to give him a hat and monocle and then set him off on an adventure in a triple-A mystery RPG game.

What Prompts Can I Use To Make a Studio Ghibli-Inspired AI Image?

The OpenAI devs introducing the GPT 4-o tool describe it as a "creative assistant you can continuously tweak and refine."

In fact, using the tool to create an "anime version" of themselves is something they highlighted right after showing off the tool's text creation abilities as the trio clicked a selfie and converted it to "anime" in what looks an awful lot like Studio Ghibli's iconic style.

It's evident that recreating any such AI art style is as simple as uploading a photo and asking ChatGPT-4o to "Studio Ghibli-fy" it, but there’s a catch. You’ll need to be sure you're using ChatGPT-4o, which requires a paid subscription.

Creating Ghibli versions of themselves was the first thing many GPT-4o adopters did when they caught up with the new release.

On March 25th, several tech users shared photos of themselves recreated in the Studio Ghibli art style, with X user @GrantSlatton sharing a photo of his family, writing, "tremendous alpha right now in sending your wife photos of y'all converted to studio ghibli anime."

How Did People Use ChatGPT's New 'Ghiblification' Abilities?

When ChatGPT-4o's image generator debuted, the internet predictably went to town. On March 25th, 2025, X user @adtac_ decided that controversial scientist Jiankui He needed a Ghibli makeover, writing, "In the future we will have Studio Ghibli filter glasses."

On March 26th, X user @keysmashbandit turned the iconic photo of Jackie Kennedy diving during JFK's assassination into an anime scene, noting, "In the coming days, people are going to anime every iconic photo in history."

The post amassed over 15,000 likes in less than a day, proving that no moment is too sacred for an AI art filter.​

Meanwhile, @cakesauce highlighted the irony of it all by posting an image of Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki and a quote from 2016 about the use of AI. However, Miyazaki's statement was about a specific 3D model that used AI and was not about AI-generated art.

What Are Some Other Animation Styles People Are Emulating Using ChatGPT?

Soon after the initial tech adopters had their fun recreating cutesy family photos and historical moments alike, people realized that Ghibli images weren't the only thing the new GPT tool was capable of making.

One of the funnier early posts showing off GPT's ability to convert real life to cartoon was a post by X user @thekitze that, arguably, looks straight out of a South Park episode.

The scene shows President Zelenskyy, Musk and VP Vance's explosive White House meeting, all with a perfectly written "Ukraine" to top it off.

But animation isn't the only thing GPT-4o users are putting together — many internet users are also using the new tool to make memes.

For instance, on March 25th, X user @scaling01 tweeted, "OpenAI has reached AGI," alongside the following meme, showing the tool's startling ability to recreate its Bottomless Pit Supervisor moment.

So, is this the death of creativity or just a new way to goof off online? The internet is split. Some see it as an exciting new tool, while others worry it’s just another step toward AI churning out soulless imitations of real art.

Either way, as long as IP laws stay flimsy and tech bros keep treating AI like a high-tech Etch A Sketch, we’re in for a lot more of this.

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For the full history of Studio Ghibli AI Generation be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.