Through the Ghibli lens: Sheikha Latifa and others turn Dubai and Abu Dhabi into enchanting dreamscapes

The National

01-04-2025

It's the trend that seems to be everywhere on social media. Studio Ghibli is back in the spotlight after many in the past week have taken to ChatGPT to recreate images in the art style of the famous Japanese animation studio. Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed, chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, joined in on the trend sharing some images of famous Dubai landmarks that have been 'reimagined in the enchanting style of Studio Ghibli through the lens of AI'. "AI is evolving rapidly, bringing new innovations that enrich our world every day. With continuous advancements, it now mimics creativity, understands diverse cultures and helps preserve our rich heritage,' she added before sharing images showing Al Fahidi Historical District, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library and the Al Safa Art & Design Library. Meanwhile, Dubai Municipality also got in in on the trend by promoting the emirate's parks, beaches and other attractions in the same Ghibli-style filter. Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority turned its public transport services, including the Dubai Metro, Dubai Tram, Dubai taxis and public buses into their Ghibli versions, writing that 'In #Dubai, every journey feels like a Ghibli movie". 'We asked ChatGPT to show us which transport modes are the safest, fastest and most convenient to travel around Dubai, and the results were as seen above,' wrote the RTA on X. However, Dubai wasn't the only emirate to join in on the trend. The theme parks and attractions on Yas Island also shared their AI-generated images. Ferrari World Abu Dhabi illustrations showed children and adults enjoying the theme park's rides, while SeaWorld Yas Island also shared the reimagined images including one of a father and his two children interacting with a friendly, hippo-like creature. Meanwhile, Warner Bros Abu Dhabi shared one of their popular Riddler Revolution ride and another of a family walking around the amusement park. The Department of Municipalities and Transport in Abu Dhabi also reimagined images, with a focus on Eid transitions in the UAE capital. This includes a series of images showing people shopping in a traditional market, a child receiving Eidiya, an Emirati woman wearing a battoulah and cooking luqaimat and Emirati family members celebrating and praying. 'Eid in Abu Dhabi is a celebration of joy, family and cherished traditions. From festive shopping to heartwarming gatherings, and the excitement of Eidiya, the city comes alive with happiness. Wishing you a blessed Eid,' the department posted. The Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club even gave the sport a Ghibli-style makeover, with images of equestrians showjumping with their horses. On Tuesday, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman celebrated with the announcement that the company's new image-generation features in ChatGPT helped to add 'one million users' in one hour. His claim comes several days after he said the new feature in the company's GPT-4o was so popular that it was melting OpenAI's graphics processing units. 'The ChatGPT launch 26 months ago was one of the craziest viral moments I'd ever seen, and we added one million users in five days,' he wrote on X. 'We added one million users in the last hour.'