‘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".

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.