There are several flavors of the trend being shared. The “AI Action Figure” variant appears to have gained the most traction, in which a person generates a plastic version of themselves in a blister pack, alongside various accessories — typically a laptop, a book, and a coffee cup, which is fitting given LinkedIn is largely driving this trend. Other versions try to specifically emulate recognizable branding, such as the “Barbie Box Challenge.”
While the trend started on LinkedIn, it’s since started to leak over to other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. It hasn’t taken off to anywhere near the extent that the Ghibli art craze did, however, which is still outperforming every AI Barbie/action figure/doll term I could think of in Google’s Search rankings. The Ghibli art style trend also attracted some online backlash from creatives and fans of the animation studio over ethical, environmental, and copyright concerns, but that hasn’t popped up to the same extent — yet, at least — with this latest viral bandwagon.
The common theme across every AI-generated figurine is that ChatGPT is typically the only AI image generator mentioned. The text-to-image update was so popular at launch last month that OpenAI had to limit image generation and push back access to free ChatGPT accounts to prevent its servers from being overloaded. This action figure trend may be far smaller than the Ghibli images that preceded it, but it sets another precedent for ChatGPT being the AI service that lures in everyday joes.
Most of this new semi-viral trend is contained within LinkedIn, shared by marketers and wannabe thought leaders with very little engagement to show for it. A few notable brands like Mac Cosmetics and NYX Cosmetics have jumped on board, but recognizable stars and influencers don’t seem interested in joining in. The closest thing to a “famous person” I’ve seen to try it out is Marjorie Taylor Greene. Make of that what you will.