1 week Ago By Kahekashan
OpenAI has once again captured public attention, riding the wave of viral trends—from whimsical Ghibli-style portraits to nostalgic Barbie box transformations. Now, a new craze is taking shape, particularly on LinkedIn: turning yourself into an action figure. The current favorite? The “AI Action Figure” trend.
Users are generating toy-like versions of themselves, complete with a clear plastic blister pack and accessories like laptops, books, or coffee cups—perfect props for the typical LinkedIn persona. There’s also a variation drawing from pop culture, such as the “Barbie Box Challenge,” which mimics the iconic doll’s packaging. Though the trend initially took off on LinkedIn, it's starting to cross over into platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Still, it hasn’t reached the viral heights of the Studio Ghibli-style art trend. That earlier craze not only dominated Google Search rankings but also stirred debate around issues like copyright, ethics, and the environmental cost of AI-generated art. So far, this toy-box phase hasn’t ignited the same level of criticism—at least not yet.
https://www.linkedin.com/school/chartered-institute-of-marketing/posts/ � A constant across all versions of the toy trend is the prominent use of ChatGPT.
OpenAI’s text-to-image generator has become the go-to tool for these playful creations. In fact, when the feature first launched, it was so popular that OpenAI had to restrict access for free users to avoid overloading its servers. While the action figure phase is more low-key than the Ghibli phenomenon, it still showcases ChatGPT’s dominance as the everyday person’s entry point into AI creativity.
That said, the trend hasn’t gained much traction beyond LinkedIn. It’s mainly marketers and self-proclaimed thought leaders posting their AI figurines—most of which generate minimal engagement. A few major brands, like Mac Cosmetics and NYX Cosmetics, have tried to get in on the fun, but the lack of celebrity involvement has kept the trend from truly exploding.
“The closest thing to a ‘famous person’ I’ve seen to try it out is Marjorie Taylor Greene. Make of that what you will.” In the end, while the gimmick may be fun, it’s more plastic than personality—another fleeting internet moment dressed up in AI packaging.
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