With the release of a new image generator for GPT-4o by OpenAI, a surge of AI-generated artworks mimicking the style of Studio Ghibli animations has emerged online, sparking intense debates on the ethics and legality of AI-driven content creation. This "Ghibli-style" trend has prompted industry figures such as Jason Zhao from Story Protocol and Kyle Samani from Multicoin to share their views on the evolving relationship between intellectual property (IP) and AI. Zhao advocates for the establishment of infrastructure that can provide compensation to artists, while Samani questions the relevance of IP in a world of zero marginal cost creation. Our analysts delve deeply into the role of intellectual property in the AI era in this report.

In the wake of OpenAI’s release of a new image generator for GPT-4o, the internet was flooded with AI-generated art mimicking the iconic Studio Ghibli animation style, sparking both admiration and intense debate over the ethics and legality of AI-driven content creation. This “Ghiblification” trend prompted industry figures like Jason Zhao of Story Protocol and Kyle Samani of Multicoin to weigh in on the evolving relationship between intellectual property (IP) and AI. Zhao called for infrastructure that enables compensation for artists, while Samani questioned the relevance of IP altogether in a world of zero marginal cost creation.

In this report our analysts weigh in on the topic, discussing the role of IP in the age of AI.

The Role and Challenges of Intellectual Property in the AI Era