You've probably seen them everywhere by now: those "AI-generated Ghibli-style images" that have taken over the internet, even popping up in official government communications.
But a recent kerfuffle on Japan's X (formerly Twitter) has everyone talking. A user shared a restaurant's "meal promotion images" that looked suspiciously AI-generated, sparking a massive debate and earning the nickname "Old Man's AI" (ジジイのAI) from netizens.
The whole thing kicked off when a user posted a picture of the restaurant's AI-generated food, simply captioning it "Old Man's AI." The post immediately went viral. The image itself, an AI-rendered dish, featured a weirdly yellowish hue and bizarre lighting. Many wondered why a restaurant would opt for such a low-quality AI image instead of a real photo.
Netizens quickly piled on, with comments like, "I instantly recognize that yellowish AI art style," "It's literally 'moldy yellow' Ghibli style...", and "So many older guys are into using these images now..."
The AI food pic had many shaking their heads, with the comment section erupting in a mix of laughter and confusion: "Why would a restaurant use AI for food photos?" "Couldn't they just take one real picture?" "It just looks unappetizing..." "AI-drawn rice completely kills my appetite." One user even pointed out, "For a restaurant not to show actual photos of its own dishes? That's a huge trust issue."
Despite the brutal roasting, some did note a silver lining: "Honestly, getting a meal for 500 yen these days is pretty appealing."
As the discussion heated up, "Old Man's AI" officially became a new meme in Japan, used to describe that specific "yellowish, weirdly lit, slightly old-school aesthetic" of AI-generated Ghibli art. Others refined the definition: "It's that 'moldy yellow Ghibli style'," or "You can tell it's an AI-drawn ad instantly." For younger generations, it seems to symbolize cheapness and a total lack of taste.
via： togetter