After the Ghibli craze, personalized action figures made with AI have taken over, but this trend comes with serious privacy risks.
Scroll through any social platform and you’ll find AI dolls or action figures everywhere. They’re trending on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and even on LinkedIn, the go-to network for serious professionals. It’s the web’s latest obsession.
Influencers, celebrities, politicians, and major brands have jumped on board. Even journalists reporting on the phenomenon have created their own versions, complete with microphones and cameras. Users have turned just about anyone into a doll, from Elon Musk to Ariana Grande.
Creating AI Dolls with ChatGPT: What Are the Risks?
To make your own AI figure, you simply use ChatGPT, choose a style and accessories based on your personality, and you’re done. It’s a fun game, but experts warn it isn’t risk-free. Providing personal data, like your face or job, to an AI model can have unintended consequences. That information may be reused to generate future outputs. There’s also the danger that hackers could exploit data collected online to launch targeted attacks.
And then there’s the environmental impact. AI systems consume vast amounts of energy sometimes as much as an entire country. Even OpenAI’s CEO has voiced concerns about the growing use of image generators following the Ghibli trend.
Artists Respond with #StarterPackNoAI
As AI action figures flood social media, many artists have launched a counter-movement under the hashtag #StarterPackNoAI. They’re posting hand-drawn artworks mimicking the AI doll aesthetic but sending a clear message: human-made art still holds irreplaceable value.
This protest didn’t appear out of nowhere. It reflects growing tension between artists and the rise of generative AI. Just weeks ago, a similar outcry erupted when Studio Ghibli-style images went viral. Back then too, artists accused these technologies of essentially stealing the style of real creatives who spent decades mastering their craft.
The AI doll trend may be entertaining, but it raises important questions about privacy, the environment, and the value of human work.
