But what is happening now isn't just automation replacing routine tasks. We really do have a restructuring of how value is created and distributed. Unlike previous technological revolutions that primarily transformed physical production, AI transforms meaning-making itself, changing how we create and distribute value. The Ghibli AI trend is a perfect microcosm:

The raw content (images) is easily reproducible and has minimal intrinsic value

The context (who shares it, how it's framed, which platforms amplify it) creates the actual economic and social value

The creators of the original style (Studio Ghibli) receive some value through "increased interest" while platforms capture the economic benefits.
1. Studio Ghibli itself saw a surge in interest but captured almost none of the economic value from the trend
2. Platform companies (Twitter) monetized the increased engagement
3. AI developers gained valuable training data from millions of uploaded images
4. Individual users "spent" their social capital by participating in the trend

This pattern of value distribution - where content creators receive attention but platforms capture revenue - is clearly the dominant economic model of our digital age.

But notice how the context (the viral tweets, the platform hype, the novelty of AI filter) drove the phenomenon more than the intrinsic value of the images themselves. Once again, context overshadowed content.

But as AI accelerates our ability to (1) generate, (2) manipulate, and (3) distribute information, this weird tension becomes even more pronounced.

The AI Debate Is Not About Art, It's About Money

Kyla Scanlon • Studio Ghibli AI, Classified Leaks, and the Context Shift