The month of March 2025 closed with several news items that caused commotion in the world. However, one event stole the attention of all and sundry. While Myanmar is suffering the consequences of a disaster triggered by an earthquake, thousands of people on the Internet enjoyed the new utility of artificial intelligence ChatGPT, which allows to adapt an image to the illustration style of various artists and studios.
Although it is possible to generate illustrations in styles ranging from The Simpsons to South Park, images based on the unmistakable look of Studio Ghibli stood out by far. This situation produced a series of consequences that have been repeated in previous trends involving one of the emblematic tools of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Therefore, we list four lessons learned from this event.
Brand prestige. Many people have marveled at the stories told by the studio created by Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki. This has allowed Studio Ghibli to create around itself a brand that is well known and loved by the public in almost all latitudes. Therefore, it is not surprising that, having so many possibilities for adapting photography with the help of artificial intelligence, the aesthetics of the studio in question have been preferred, since the aim is, among other things, to unite the values and emotions of the original image with those offered by the animation house.
Ecological concern. Shortly after the Internet was flooded with images of the adapted images, a debate arose about the environmental consequences of the tool released at the end of last month. By far the most prominent was the consumption of water to cool the hardware. It should be noted that other online-based functions and resources also consume elements such as coal, oil and minerals. Brands should continue to pay attention to genuine concern on the part of their consumers.
Copyright. It is not the first time that concerns arise on this topic. Whether with the generation of maps or artificial voices based on products made by real people, alarms are raised about the lack of legal regulation on the matter. This is not a minor issue. It opens lines of action ranging from the cost and access to the inputs that allow training neural networks and the displacement of creative workers in the entertainment industry.
Neutral use. Another discussion that was opened has to do with the responsibility that both the promoters of artificial intelligence and its users have. In the past, a more or less clear distinction has been made on various issues. For example, a knife can be bought by anyone, but the use made of it depends on its owner. With this trend we have witnessed politicians using the prestige of Miyazaki’s works to their advantage with varied results.
We are fortunate to live in these times where we can witness a major transformation in the way we can delegate repetitive processes. In a preliminary review we could believe that this would allow people to have more free time to allow them to perform other more value-added functions. Instead, we are seeing that some jobs will have to adjust to this innovation to make alternatives like ChatGPT part of their tools and not a complete enemy.
Market Research is no stranger to the effects of this transformation. At Acertiva we are aware of these changes and we seek to apply them in our operation within an ethical and effective framework. If you have a requirement for consumer and brand knowledge in LATAM, please contact us. We’ll get back to you with how together we can make your next success story a reality.
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