What is ChatGPT ’80s photo trend? How to create viral retro AI portraits

A new Instagram trend, dubbed the ChatGPT '80s photo trend, is turning modern selfies into vintage-inspired portraits from the 1980s. Users are using AI image generation to give their selfies a distinctly retro makeover by changing their hairstyle, outfit, setting, and lighting while preserving their facial features and natural skin tone.

The finished images often resemble old family albums, magazine shoots, or Bollywood film archives, complete with bouffant hairstyles, aviator sunglasses, colorful outfits, sepia tones, studio backdrops, and subtle film grain. The trend has caught the attention of several Indian politicians and celebrities, including Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, who shared an AI-created version of himself in a sharp grey suit, white shirt, and aviator sunglasses.

Other famous figures like Kiren Rijiju, Vikrant Gupta, Kumar Vishwas, Virat Kohli, K L Rahul, Tamannaah Vibe, Dipika, Lin Laishram, and Anita H Reddy have also joined in on the nostalgic fun. To create your own '80s portrait, upload a clear, well-lit, front-facing selfie to ChatGPT, specify the 1980s look you want (clothes, hairstyle, accessories, setting, and lighting), and ask the AI to retain your recognisable facial features and natural skin tone while making the styling and surroundings retro.