{"id":6036,"date":"2025-04-09T16:42:13","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T16:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/6036\/"},"modified":"2025-04-09T16:42:13","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T16:42:13","slug":"is-greenpeaces-ghibli-ai-generated-climate-campaign-hypocritical","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/6036\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Greenpeace\u2019s \u2018Ghibli\u2019 AI-generated climate campaign hypocritical?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Responding to the recent wave of AI-generated art mimicking Studio Ghibli\u2019s whimsical aesthetic, a trend often referred to as \u201cGhiblification,\u201d Greenpeace\u2019s latest campaign taps into the trend. With the tagline \u2018No filter can hide the truth,\u2019 the visuals deliver a sobering counterpoint, hoping to remind people that environmental devastation cannot be romanticized.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s an unsettling contradiction at the heart of this campaign, both ethically and environmentally.<\/p>\n

According to a 2024 article in The Guardian, there\u2019s an \u201cugly truth\u201d behind AI platforms like ChatGPT, which can now create images.<\/a> Mariana Mazzucato, professor of economics at UCL and director of the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, points out that \u201clarge language models such as ChatGPT are some of the most energy-guzzling technologies of all.\u201d Research suggests that training GPT-3 at Microsoft\u2019s data centers may have required up to 700,000 liters of water for cooling alone.<\/p>\n

\n Want to go deeper? Ask The Drum<\/p>\n

From a cultural standpoint, there\u2019s also tension. Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki has long been critical of AI in animation. Known for his meticulous hand-drawn work and humanistic storytelling, Miyazaki expressed his discomfort with the technology in the 2016 documentary called \u2018Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki\u2019. In it, developers showed him an AI-generated animation of a zombie character, boasting that it could create \u201cgrotesque movements that we humans can\u2019t imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miyazaki responded with a personal story: \u201cEvery morning, not in recent days, I see my friend who has a disability,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s so hard for him just to do a high five; his arm with stiff muscle can\u2019t reach out to my hand. Now, thinking of him, I can\u2019t watch this stuff and find it interesting. Whoever creates this stuff has no idea what pain is whatsoever. I am utterly disgusted\u2026 I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greenpeace has a long history of provocative, image-driven campaigns dating back to the 1970s. A spokesperson for Greenpeace Greece told The Drum the organization sought to \u201ctap into this trend to reach a wide audience\u201d and to \u201chighlight the stark contrast between the idealized, comforting aesthetic of Studio Ghibli and the harsh realities of the climate crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

They added: \u201cWe recognize that generative AI tools offer opportunities for leaps forward in areas like renewable energy and healthcare, but also many threats. The growing energy demands required to power these tools could exacerbate the climate crisis if met by burning fossil fuels.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greenpeace acknowledged the internal contradiction, adding that it is \u201cusing some of these tools cautiously under specific circumstances\u201d, all while \u201ccontinuing to campaign for the phase-out of fossil fuels in our energy systems.\u201d<\/p>\n

On LinkedIn, people from within the advertising community were quick to spot the apparent miss from the organization, too. System1\u2019s Andrew Tindall pointed out that it was a \u201cmassive miss\u201d from Greenpeace.<\/a><\/p>\n

He wrote: \u201cBrilliant example of jumping on a trend, forgetting your brand strategy, and replacing consistency with a shot at going viral. Framing AI as good or bad isn\u2019t helpful. OpenAI\u2019s new image functions and booming LLM have brilliant applications, especially for challenger brands,\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we can all agree the viral Studio Ghibli posts are cringeworthy at best. Blatant IP issues and the fact that they all get so much traction show that marketers love shiny new things. Greenpeace saw the trend, decided to disregard generative AI’s energy and water issues, and took a shot at a clever viral post. Ironically, helping fuel the crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked about their overall stance on AI, the Greenpeace spokesperson concluded: \u201cFor this reason and other ethical concerns, our general policy is not to use generative AI to create images for external use. In this case, we made a conscious exception to use this digital trend to spark debate and raise awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read how the kind of unethical behaviors displayed through Ghiblification could push brands toward working with real artists.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Greenpeace\"<\/p>\n

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