Kiren Rijiju, Shashi Tharoor, Chirag Paswan: Politicians join viral ChatGPT 1980s AI photo trend

Social media platforms Instagram and X are currently abuzz with retro-style AI-generated photographs, bringing back the aesthetics of the 1980s. Various political figures have joined the nostalgia craze, including Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Goyal shared an AI-generated image of himself wearing a grey suit, white shirt, and aviator sunglasses, captioning it, "Vibing to the 80s trend." Rijiju, while also posting a 1980s-inspired version of himself, quipped, "Why is everyone going back to the 80s vibes? I'm also forced to 80s nostalgia!" Sarma posted a retro AI-generated image, saying, "Getting to any trend which has nostalgia attached to it. Back to the 80s eh!"

Businessman and former Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also shared a throwback photo, joking, "80s called, I answered." BJP MP Anurag Thakur joined the trend by sharing a retro-style image on Instagram.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor approached the trend differently, sharing actual photographs from the 1980s featuring himself and his sons. He wrote, "The ’80s seem to be back, courtesy of AI. I thought I'd join the trend the old-fashioned way."

To create these 1980s-inspired images, users upload a current photo to an AI image generator and request it to recreate the person as they would have appeared in the 1980s. Prompts can include retaining the person's facial features while changing their clothes, hairstyle, accessories, pose, background, and lighting. Popular choices for an 1980s look often include colorful sarees, statement jewelry, big hairstyles, moustaches, wide-collared shirts, high-waisted trousers, retro sunglasses, and vintage studio backdrops.