Creating without a soul
On art in the age of machine
Over the past week, I saw an overwhelming amount of AI generated studio ghibli style art plastered all over social media. From friends and celebrities to news outlets, all are publishing AI generated photos and calling them X event reimagined Ghibli style. While all this may seem quite harmless—just another trend, another aesthetic filter applied on photos—beneath the surface lies a truth that we are yet to face.
Hayao Miyazaki, the creator of Studio Ghibli, in 2016, when presented with an AI animation attempting to mimic movement, he responded:
I am utterly disgusted. If you want to make creepy stuff, you can go ahead and do it. I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all. I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself. […] I feel like we are nearing the end of times. We humans are losing faith in ourselves.
Miyazaki’s words cut deeper now than ever. To some—his words sound too grim and to some it’s an echo of the fear that his empire is going to fall apart as art is being democratised. I think he is asking some tough questions and it’s about time that we reflected on what we call art. What threats do AI pose to human creativity and artistic expression? Most importantly—how much are we letting AI take over not just our art, but our minds?
Love how Joanna Maciejewska puts it:
I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes.
The very thing that makes art and creativity so beautiful is its connection to experience—to the moments of wonder, the weight of memory, the imperfections that remind us we are alive. Seeing those AI images, I felt like technology is smoothing out our imperfections and in the process, humanity too.
These AI generated images are beautiful for sure and so perfect—almost too perfect. But art was never about perfection, nor about efficiency. It was born from a need—a need to tell stories, to capture emotions, to carve meaning out of our temporary existence. It is, our hands shaping what our hearts and minds imagine. Art has always been accessible. From the first handprints on cave walls to the strokes of a Ghibli animation, art has always been for the artist. It is not merely an image; it is an imprint of someone’s experience, their identity and a way of making sense of the world.
Illustration by Tomoko Hara
So what happens when the suffering of creation is stripped away? What remains when creation is reduced to just an output rather than a human experience? AI generates images without any sincerity, creativity or passion. It can only ever be a mimic or copy of a poem, story or a painting. And yet, we continue handing over more of our artistic spaces to it, as though creation were a burden rather than a privilege.
Question to ask, can AI dream? Can a machine without a soul ever dream?
Hayao Miyazaki, in 2024, when he received his Oscars for The boy and the heron:
I think I’ve been lucky because I’ve been able to participate in the last era when we can make films with paper, pencil and film.
The extreme edges of human capacity are being eroded before our very eyes. We are no longer counting the blessings of the 21st century, rather we have become the victims of modernity—songs sound the same, movies are either sequels or remakes and books lack complexity and depth. In this time and age, knowledge doesn’t mean anything and our capabilities as humans are constantly challenged.
Rather than feeling and approaching art with admiration and an open heart, we consume art—like a commodity—quickly, passively and without reflection. We often fail to realize what makes art great. Ethan Hawke on the need for human creativity:
Do you think human creativity matters? Well, most people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about poetry, right? They have a life to live and they’re really not that concerned with Allen Ginsberg’s poems or anyone’s poems—until, their father dies; they go to a funeral; you lose a child; someone breaks your heart. And all of a sudden you’re desperate for making sense out of this life. ‘Has anybody felt this bad before? How did they come out of this cloud?’ Or the inverse—something great. You meet somebody and your heart explodes—you love them so much you can’t even see straight. You’re dizzy. ‘Did anybody feel like this before? What is happening to me?’ And that’s when art’s not a luxury—it’s actually sustenance. We need it.
In trying times like this art is our only saving grace—which is being commercialised as I see AI generating images that mimic “Van Gogh style” or “Studio Ghibli style” everyday. People gobble these up without thinking anything beyond the trend or the aesthetic. While all of this is happening, real artists who are making art for the sake of art, artists like Hayao Miyazaki who spent their whole lives dedicating his life to build a legacy—are being replaced and forgotten.
I’m not anti-AI. I’m not against technology. Humans create in order to leave something of themselves behind. AI-generated images leave nothing. They are, at their core, soulless—an imitation of imagination, not imagination itself. And if we cannot tell the difference anymore, perhaps Miyazaki was right. Perhaps we are losing faith in ourselves.
What I’ve been enjoying this past month:
Recent reads:
Devotions by Mary Oliver: It’s my first book of the year and I took my time reading it, I’m glad I did. So much wisdom within her words—so much to learn—to see in this world. One of my favourite poets ever, Mary Oliver is so brilliant. I highly recommend this.
No exit by Jean Paul Sartre: It is a short play, but so insightful—not a single word is wasted here. It inspired me to write my first substack.“Hell is other people” will always be stuck with me.
1984 by George Orwell: Ever since I’ve read this book, my whole perception has changed. It was really fascinating to read a book so ahead of its time. Everyone should read this at least once in their life—a real eye opener.
The second coming by W.B. Yeats: My English teacher quoted this poem when I met him lately. This poem reflects on social collapse and the rise of anti-intellectuals and other dangers forces. Very fitting for present times.
Other things I’m grateful for:
I got into Dhaka University, one of the best in Bangladesh and I will be majoring in maths. I think this is my single greatest achievement in life yet.
Watched ‘Adolescence’ on Netflix and it was a brilliant show which haunted me for weeks. I really admire the amount of effort and dedication they put into this.
New music! Have been listening to the new Lucy Dacus album ‘Forever is a feeling’. Also been replaying lots of Clairo and Noah Kahan.
Spring is here! I love watermelons and the sweet morning sun beams. So many beautiful sunsets to look forward to.
Apologies for taking so long this week.
With love,
Reza.
Loved this. There were moments in this article where I could see my thought process reflected on my screen in between some of your lines. Artificial Intelligence can never create, it can only imitate. Art is created not generated. Great work again.