The Cyber crime Wing of the Police in the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has issued a public alert regarding the increasing use of AI tools for generating the Japanese-origin Ghibli art. "The unauthorized use and distribution of Ghibli's artwork across digital platforms, particularly when obtained through unofficial or shady channels puts both individuals and businesses at risk of falling victim to cyber crimes," reads the alert. 

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This warning comes at a time when popular AI-models have been successfully replicating the Japanese Ghibli studio's anime-like art form, based on simple textual prompts and photo uploads from users. This Ghibli trend has taken social media by storm in recent weeks. From celebrities to world leaders, millions have joined the Ghibli-bandwagon and shared their Ghibli-fied images. Experts have also raised ethical and copyright concerns on AI-models freely and instantly replicating a professional, hand-drawn art form. 

OpenAI's ChatGPT tool had recently added the feature that instantly transforms user-fed photos to Ghibli-style animations. Using this feature, selfies, family portraits, and iconic images are being made into Ghibli-style art, which have flooded social media and instant messaging platforms. 

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On the potential dangers posed by this trend, the Cyber Crime Wing emphasized that people 
uploading photos to shady/suspicious links will invite problems like data leaks, data sold to unknown advertising firms, faces repurposed for synthetic media, faces being misused in deep fakes, etc. Eventually, such media could be used to personally target the user. The concern is, users cannot easily delete the submitted photo. In case of image uploads, there is no guaranteed way to request deletion.

Further, it was warned that many websites offering free downloads of Ghibli art or other media are fronts for malicious cyber activities. "Users who download content from these sources may unwittingly infect their devices with harmful software, including viruses, malware, or ransomware, leading to potential data loss and identity theft. Scammers may use popular Ghibli characters and art as bait in phishing scams. These fraudulent campaigns often involve fake contests, giveaways, or free download links for Ghibli art. Clicking on these links can lead to the theft of personal data, financial information, or even financial losses," reads the statement from the Police. 

Police have also warned netizens against unsolicited emails, messages or links that offer free Ghibli content. The advisory strongly recommended that users must check the legitimacy of websites and social media profiles before engaging in transactions or sharing information. It was also mentioned that downloadable Ghibli-themed wallpapers, art packs, or content may contain malware or ransomware. Once installed, these malicious
programs can compromise devices, steal sensitive data, or lock user files.

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Those from India, who have fallen prey to such scams and cyber crimes have been asked to 
register a complaint at www.cybercrime.gov.in.