"Draw My Puppy as a Human"... After Success with Ghibli, Another 'Daebak'

After Ghibli-Style,
'Animal Anthropomorphism' Images Become the Latest Trend

Last month, OpenAI's launch of the 'GPT-4o image generation' feature, which gained worldwide popularity for its Ghibli-style artwork, has now sparked a new trend with 'animal anthropomorphism' images that transform pets into humans.

An image of a dog transformed into a human figure through ChatGPT. Pixabay·ChatGPT

On the 14th (local time), the New York Post reported that "users are using ChatGPT to transform their pets into humans," noting that generating such images has become a trend among pet owners.

The media cited several videos posted on the social networking service (SNS) TikTok as examples. One user posted a video with a photo of their Irish Setter dog, saying, "I asked ChatGPT to turn my dog into a human."

The video begins with the caption, "I asked ChatGPT to turn my dog into a human." In the video, the dog lying on the sofa with its paws crossed and looking at the camera quickly transforms into a woman with red hair, wearing green clothes and a necklace with a dog bone-shaped pendant. The video has been viewed over 2.3 million times and became a major topic online.

Another user shared an anthropomorphized image of their French Bulldog. The dog, looking at the camera with its mouth open and teeth showing, was transformed into an image of a man with a large jaw and gray beard smiling broadly. Viewers of the video reacted enthusiastically, saying things like "It's amazing how they captured the dog's vibe," "How far can ChatGPT go?" "I wish my dog were a person," and "I'm subscribing to the paid version after seeing this."

The media noted, "This image generation is not limited to dogs. It applies to various animals from hamsters to turtles," adding, "Many people have also anthropomorphized photos of their pet cats." They explained, "It may seem like magic, but it is very easy to do. Log in to ChatGPT, upload a photo of your pet, and specify the gender. Then enter the command, 'What would my male/female dog look like as a human?'"

An image of a dog transformed into a human figure through ChatGPT. Photo by Seo Ji-young and ChatGPT

The reporter also tried generating a similar image using ChatGPT. After uploading a photo and entering the simple command, "Turn my dog into a human," the process lagged, possibly due to the Ghibli-style photo craze, but after about five minutes, the image was successfully generated. The pose and composition remained the same, but the dog was transformed into a young girl with wavy hair and a frilled dress, perfectly depicted as a human. Next, a request was made to transform the image into an even more baby-like version. After about three minutes, the illustration was completed. When requesting more detailed images multiple times, restrictions were immediately applied. The free version of ChatGPT limits users to generating only three images per day.

Meanwhile, following the Ghibli art style, AI image generation styles such as Disney and Barbie doll have become global trends. Experts predict that as AI technology advances, even more memes (online viral content) will emerge. Jasmine Enberg, senior social media analyst at eMarketer, recently told the BBC in an interview, "Thanks to generative AI, anyone can easily create and spread trends," adding, "As AI becomes deeply integrated into digital daily life, AI-based trends will appear more frequently on social media." However, she also noted, "The lifespan of trends is shortening, and people may experience fatigue more quickly."