What AI anime memes tell us about the future of art and humanity

Decoder with Nilay Patel

Vox Media Podcast Network

Technology, Business

4.3 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 3 April 2025

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today, we’re diving head first into the AI art debate, which to be honest, is an absolute mess. If you’ve been on the internet this past week, you’ve seen the Studio Ghibli memes. These images are everywhere — and they’ve widened an already pretty stark rift between AI boosters and critics. Brian Merchant, author of the newsletter and book Blood in the Machine, wrote one of the best analyses of the Ghibli trend last week. So I invited him onto the show not only to discuss this particular situation, but also to help me dissect the ongoing AI art debate more broadly. Links: OpenAI's Studio Ghibli meme factory is an insult to art itself | Brian Merchant Seattle engineer’s Ghibli-style image goes viral Seattle Times OpenAI just raised another $40 billion round from SoftBank | Verge ChatGPT “added one million users in the last hour.” | Verge ChatGPT’s Ghibli filter is political now, but it always was | Verge OpenAI, Google ask the government to let them train on content they don’t own | Verge Studio Ghibli in the age of A.I. reproduction | Max Read OpenAI has a Studio Ghibli problem | Vergecast AI slop is a brute force attack on the algorithms that control reality | 404 Media The New Aesthetics of Fascism | New Socialist Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Ursa Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Support for the show comes from Alex Partners.
0:04.0	The market is evolving at a breakneck speed, and we're only starting to understand how disruptive
0:08.8	forces such as AI, cyber threats and tariffs will change the game.
0:13.6	The winners will be those who prioritize execution and know when to adapt, and for unparalleled
0:19.2	insights, they can turn to the Alex Partners Disruption Index.
0:23.3	Stay tuned to hear more about it later in the show. In the face of disruption, businesses trust Alex Partners to get things done, when it really matters.
0:32.0	Read more on the latest trends in C-Suite insights at Disruptionruption.AlexPartners.com.
0:38.2	Disruption.a-L-I-X Partners.com.
0:44.7	Have you noticed that headlights seem brighter these days?
0:49.1	It's more than just a nuisance for some people.
0:52.2	Those headlights and other LED lights knocked me out of being a teacher. I just couldn't get for some people. Those headlights and other LED lights
0:54.2	knocked me out of being a teacher.
0:56.2	I just couldn't get to work anymore
0:57.8	without suffering these impacts,
1:00.5	these neurological, psychological impacts.
1:03.0	The dark side of those gleaming headlights.
1:06.2	That's this week on Explain It to Me.
1:08.5	Listen every Sunday morning,
1:10.1	wherever you get your podcasts.
1:13.0	Scientists find weird kinds of life all the time.
1:16.2	And normally, they can run experiments.
1:18.6	If I hypothesize, life can live in bleach.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Vox Media Podcast Network, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Vox Media Podcast Network and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.