‘Team needs sleep’: Sam Altman reacts to viral Ghibli-style AI images

Open AI CEO Sam Altman has asked social media users to ‘chill’ on generating Ghibli-style images.

Altman took to X on Sunday, urging users to “please chill on generating images,” calling the demand as “insane” and joking that his team “needs sleep".

can yall please chill on generating images this is insane our team needs sleep

— Sam Altman (@sama) March 30, 2025

For decades, Studio Ghibli’s hand-drawn animation has captivated audiences with its nostalgic, dreamlike worlds. Now, with OpenAI’s latest image-generation tool, that signature aesthetic is on profile pictures, memes, and even reimagined movie posters.

Further, OpenAI has introduced restrictions to manage the surge of Ghibli-style portraits on social media. Paid subscribers, including ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Team, and Select users, will still have access, but free-tier users, who previously had unlimited generations, are now limited to three images per day.

Embracing the viral trend, Altman himself updated his profile picture to an AI-generated Ghibli-style portrait.