Hayao Miyazaki-style AI images go viral, the technology and risks behind the Ghibli meme coin's market cap surge

A recent wave of unusual enthusiasm has swept through social media, with AI artworks in Miyazaki Hayao style appearing extensively on platforms like X, Instagram, and Reddit, sparking widespread participation from creators and ordinary netizens worldwide. The driving force behind this trend is OpenAI’s latest GPT-4o model, which has made breakthroughs in visual generation capabilities, allowing anyone to easily create animated-style images with master-level aesthetics. Meanwhile, related meme coin Ghiblification($Ghibli) also surged, reaching a market cap of over $15 million within just 15 hours, and subsequently skyrocketing more than 100 times, shocking investors and onlookers alike.

GPT-4o Image Generation Sparks Social Media Frenzy, Miyazaki Style Becomes the New Favorite

OpenAI’s GPT-4o represents a significant leap in image generation technology. Compared to previous versions, the new model shows obvious improvements in detail rendering, color accuracy, and artistic style replication, especially in reproducing Miyazaki Hayao’s style. Currently, this tool is only available to OpenAI Pro subscribers, but it has already ignited unlimited imagination within creative communities.

Starting with tech celebrities like Elon Musk sharing selfies in Miyazaki style, this trend quickly became a spark that ignited widespread online buzz. Netizens began transforming their daily photos, pets, and even office items into beautiful images reminiscent of Miyazaki films. This “one-click transformation” experience lowers the barrier to artistic creation, enabling more people to participate easily in creative expression.

From Celebrity Effect to Public Participation: How Miyazaki AI Art Takes Over the Internet

The dissemination pattern of social media often begins with a few opinion leaders and gradually evolves into a cultural phenomenon involving the masses. The viral popularity of Miyazaki-style AI art is a perfect demonstration of this model. Initially driven by well-known figures’ creative experiments, it quickly turned into a nationwide celebration, with everyone eager to view their world through Miyazaki’s aesthetic lens.

This wave reflects society’s current desire for AI creative tools and also demonstrates Miyazaki’s works’ profound influence on global culture. For many young creators, Miyazaki-style AI image generation is not just entertainment but a new form of artistic expression. New creations appear every hour on platforms, forming a continuously heating cultural hotspot.

Crypto Market Rides the Wave: $Ghibli Meme Coin Surges 100x in 15 Hours

Web3 and crypto communities are often more敏感 to social media trends than traditional markets. The emergence of Ghiblification($Ghibli) meme coin coincided precisely with this wave of AI art enthusiasm. As Miyazaki-style AI images reached their peak popularity, this Ghibli-inspired cryptocurrency quickly gained attention.

According to on-chain data, $Ghibli’s market cap broke through $15 million within the first 15 hours after launch, and then experienced over 100 times growth. Behind this surge are both speculative enthusiasm from the community and the high volatility characteristic of meme coins. However, this volatility also makes meme coins among the riskiest investment assets. Industry insiders generally advise participants to approach with a “money can be lost” mindset and carefully assess their risk tolerance.

Technological Breakthroughs and Concerns: Licensing Disputes and Free User Delays

The success of GPT-4o has brought not only creative excitement but also concerns. First, OpenAI faces technical challenges—CEO Sam Altman disclosed on X that the usage of image generation features has far exceeded expectations, despite conservative initial projections. This has led to delays in the original schedule for releasing the feature to free users, with no specific online date announced yet.

More importantly, issues around intellectual property and licensing have arisen. Studio Ghibli has historically been critical of AI-generated art, and founder Miyazaki Hayao has publicly expressed concerns about AI creation. Some fans and industry insiders question whether these AI models have been adequately licensed by Ghibli during training. Using others’ artistic styles on a large scale for commercial training without authorization may infringe copyright boundaries.

How Long Will the Miyazaki Style Trend Last?

From a technical perspective, GPT-4o’s breakthroughs in image generation are real and promising. This tool is expected to find applications in professional design, content creation, education, and training. However, social media trends are often short-lived. The longevity of Miyazaki-style AI images depends on several factors: platform recommendation algorithms, when the novelty wears off, and how licensing issues are resolved.

For investors, the rapid rise of $Ghibli meme coin reminds us that the market is always full of speculative opportunities, but every surge carries risks. What truly matters is how AI tools like those from OpenAI can be sustainably integrated into creative industries, rather than short-term gains from meme coins. The popularity of Miyazaki-style AI art is fundamentally an interesting collision between technological progress and culture, but issues related to intellectual property, ethics, and commerce still require in-depth industry and regulatory consideration.