Artificial intelligence continues to make waves, and this time, French President Emmanuel Macron finds himself at the center of an unexpected controversy.
On March 29, 2025, to mark the 60th anniversary of Civil Protection, he posted a message on X to pay tribute to the organization’s 32,000 volunteers. In his post, he wrote: “For 60 years, Civil Protection has been that helping hand in times of hardship (…) To the 32,000 volunteers who watch over, rescue, train, and protect (…) Thank you so much.”
A message filled with gratitude, particularly for the key role these volunteers played during the 2024 Paris Olympics. But what caught everyone’s attention wasn’t just the text, but the accompanying illustration: an image generated by ChatGPT’s AI, imitating the unmistakable style of Studio Ghibli.
The Ghibli style with ChatGPT: A viral trend causing problems
For the past few days, ChatGPT’s image generator, powered by the GPT-4o model, has been all the rage on social media. Users are having fun transforming their photos into drawings that evoke the poetic and colorful aesthetic of Hayao Miyazaki’s films, such as My Neighbor Totoro or Princess Mononoke. But this trend, as creative as it may be, raises major ethical and legal questions. Because behind these images lies a reality: the AI was trained on copyrighted works without the original creators’ consent.
And Studio Ghibli, known for its commitment to craftsmanship and its distrust of technology, was quick to react.
In a statement published on X, the Japanese studio expressed its indignation at this unauthorized use of its artistic style. “We urge everyone to respect copyright and stop generating images imitating our style without our consent,” the company stated.
A stance that echoes long-standing criticism from Hayao Miyazaki, the studio’s co-founder, who called AI an “insult to life itself” in a 2016 documentary. For Ghibli, these edits are not a tribute, but a clear violation of their intellectual property.
Read more on this topic: ChatGPT & Ghibli: Between revolution and ethical debates
Ghibli, image generation, and copyright…
By choosing to illustrate his message with an image generated by ChatGPT, Emmanuel Macron unintentionally added fuel to the fire. The illustration, depicting a Civil Protection volunteer in an orange uniform in front of the Eiffel Tower, uses Ghibli’s distinctive features: soft colors, fine outlines, and a dreamlike atmosphere.
While the intention was likely to ride a popular trend, the result was a wave of criticism in the comments under his post. “It’s disrespectful to artists,” wrote one user. “The president should lead by example by supporting human creation, not by plundering the work of others via AI,” added another.
Faced with this outcry, one question arises: will Emmanuel Macron delete his post? For now, no official reaction has been released by the Élysée. After all, as a public figure, his choice to use an AI without authorization puts France in a delicate position as debates on AI regulation and copyright protection intensify globally.
Read also: Emmanuel Macron on AI: “Now is the time to accelerate!”
A broader debate on AI and creation
This case goes beyond a simple post on X. It illustrates the growing tensions between technological advances and respect for intellectual property.
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has not entered into a licensing agreement with Studio Ghibli, and it is likely that its model was trained on thousands of images from the studio’s films.
A common practice in the development of generative AI, but one that remains a legal gray area. However, the AI ACT has provided principles and measures applicable to artificial intelligence. But perhaps not enough on the issue of copyright.
Artists and studios, like Ghibli, feel robbed, while AI defenders argue that “style” is not protectable by copyright—only the exact work is.
Yet, for many, the stakes go beyond laws. It’s a matter of recognition and respect for those who, like Miyazaki, have spent decades perfecting their craft.
While waiting for a possible reaction from the Élysée, this blunder serves as a reminder of an essential truth: AI can imitate, but it will never replace the soul of a creator. It remains to be seen whether the French president will choose to remove his controversial illustration or stand by this bold—and risky—choice.
