Who Is Grant Slatton? Meet The Engineer Whose AI-Generated Ghibli Portraits Took Internet By Storm

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Seattle-based software engineer Grant Slatton has become the face of a viral AI art trend, transforming everyday photos into stunning Studio Ghibli -style portraits. His creative use of AI has captivated millions online, igniting debates about technology's role in artistic expression.

Slatton's rise to internet fame began after OpenAI launched its latest image-generation feature on March 26, 2025. Recognising its potential, he used it to reimagine a family photo-featuring himself, his wife, and their dog-in the whimsical, hand-drawn style synonymous with Studio Ghibli.

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Sharing it on X, he humorously wrote:“Tremendous alpha right now in sending your wife photos of y'all converted to Studio Ghibli anime.”

The post quickly went viral, amassing nearly 50 million views and inspiring thousands to generate their own Ghibli-style portraits. The trend grew so rapidly that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had to impose temporary rate limits to manage the overwhelming demand.

Who is Grant Slatton?

While many now know him for his AI-generated Ghibli portraits, Slatton has long been a major player in the tech world.

He has worked at AWS S3 as a senior engineer at Amazon Web Services and played a crucial role in developing high-performance storage nodes for the world's largest cloud storage service.

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Currently, he is a founding engineer at Row Zero, where he has contributed to creating the world's fastest spreadsheet. Slatton has also been deeply involved in AI research, exploring fields like machine learning, cloud optimisation, and conversational AI.

His ability to blend technical expertise with creativity has not only fuelled innovation but also made AI-generated art more accessible to the public.

Praise and criticism: The debate over AI-generated Ghibli art

While many celebrated Slatton's work as a fun and impressive application of AI, some raised concerns about the ethics of AI-generated art. Studio Ghibli is famous for its meticulous hand-drawn animation, and founder Hayao Miyazaki has openly criticised AI-generated art, calling it an“insult to life itself”.

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