From Bollywood stars to athletes: Viral AI ’80s photo trend takes over the Internet

The viral 80s AI retro picture trend has taken the Internet by storm after Bollywood actors and sportspersons have hopped on to this latest ChatGPT prompt on Wednesday to share their unique AI-generated images that recreate fashion, hairstyles and photography styles associated with the decade. 

Even Indian politicians, including Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan joined in with playful posts, while Renuka Chowdhury shared a real 1980s magazine cover of herself.  

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju shared his AI-generated stylish retro photo on his X handle, in which he was seen standing near a car. 

While sharing the photo, Kiren Rijiju wrote, “Why is everyone going back to the 80s vibes? I’m also forced to 80s nostalgia!”

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also hopped on the viral trend by sharing his AI-generated retro photo.

As for the sport stars, former cricketer Irfan Pathan shared a series of AI-generated retro photos which featured him wearing a blazer, pant and a white shirt. 

The cricketer was also seen donning denim jeans and a Nike jacket complemented by a white vest. 

While sharing the photos on his Instagram handle, Irfan Pathan wrote, “Let’s go back to 80s.”

As for Bollywood, Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra have joined the viral ’80s AI retro picture trend on Instagram, with Kiara sharing a digitally reimagined portrait of the couple as a classic 1980s Bollywood pairing on September 9.

Kiara captioned the post, “Back to the 80’s”, as the AI-generated image gave both actors a complete vintage makeover.

In the portrait, Sidharth sports a quintessential retro hero look, wearing a denim shirt over a white T-shirt and dark aviator sunglasses.

Kiara, meanwhile, channels classic Bollywood glamour in a vibrant pink puff-sleeved short dress, styled with a black waist belt, oversized hoop earrings and matching bangles.

Actress Parineeti Chopra shared AI-generated retro throwback images capturing nostalgic 1980s aesthetics alongside her husband, Raghav Chadha.

The look features classic voluminous hair, bold makeup, and vibrant vintage attire reminiscent of Hindi cinema from that decade.

The viral 80s AI trend is a social media craze where users use artificial intelligence to reimagine their modern selfies as retro portraits from the 1980s. Instead of just using a standard vintage filter, people upload their photos to AI tools like ChatGPT or Google Gemini alongside detailed prompts.

The AI generates a new image that preserves their exact facial features while being completely overhauled with voluminous hairstyles, period-accurate fashion, film grain, and old-school studio lighting.

The trend has completely taken over platforms like Instagram and X, with everyone from influencers to Indian celebrities jumping on the nostalgia wave.