AI Action Figures Trend Online

A wave of internet users is embracing a viral trend that transforms real people—and even pets—into AI-generated action figures, complete with box art, themed accessories, and stylised packaging.

These lifelike figurines are not appearing in toy stores, but they are flooding social media feeds, powered by OpenAI’s new image generator built into ChatGPT’s GPT-4o model.

The trend took off as users began uploading selfies and prompts to generate toy-like versions of themselves, celebrities, historical icons, and pop culture characters.

No one has been spared—not Beethoven, not Anna Wintour.

Even fictional personas like “eco-left protester,” “pro-life doctor,” and “Liverpool fan” are being immortalised in plastic (or at least pixel).

The result is a digital parade of miniaturised figures, often serving as both playful self-expression and pointed social commentary.

Seinfeld characters, tech moguls, political figures, and athletes have all gotten the action figure treatment.

Brands and professionals have even joined in—on LinkedIn, for instance, some are using AI dolls as tongue-in-cheek personal branding tools.

Actress Brooke Shields shared a figurine of herself complete with a needlepoint kit and terrier.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene posted one with a Bible and gavel.

This follows an earlier burst of creativity where users styled images in the aesthetic of Studio Ghibli, despite founder Hayao Miyazaki’s vocal scepticism of AI art.

As AI continues blurring the line between novelty and creativity, the action-figure trend reflects both its whimsical appeal and the deeper questions it raises about authorship, identity, and expression in the digital age.

Create Your Own AI Action Figure in Minutes

To create your own AI-generated action figure using ChatGPT, start by logging into your account—or create one quickly if you have not yet.

Once inside, upload a photo or multiple images of yourself into the chat.

While headshots work, uploading a full-body image will help generate a more accurate and proportionate figure.

Next, enter a descriptive prompt.

The more detail you provide, the more personalised your action figure will be.

For inspiration, users have shared prompt templates—such as one featured on the @chatgptricks Instagram account—that you can adapt to suit your vision.

You can customise everything from the color of the packaging to accessories that reflect your personality, like a basketball, yoga mat, guitar, books, or gardening tools.

Rising AI Art Craze Worries Musicians and Artists But Others Are More Optimistic

The viral AI action-figure trend has sparked both fascination and frustration.

While many users are enjoying hyper-personalised, toy-like portraits generated in seconds, artists and illustrators are raising serious concerns about the ethical implications of these tools.

Critics argue that AI models are often trained on unlicensed artwork, undermining the value of original creativity and threatening livelihoods in the process.

Some illustrators have responded by reclaiming the format.

Linh Truong, a 23-year-old New York-based artist, illustrated her own action figure, complete with her sketchbook and cat, Kayla.

Her image featured a defiant “HUMAN MADE” label—part protest, part personal touch.

Truong views the trend as one of many AI-driven attempts by tech platforms to build emotional connection with users.

She said:

“They’re like, ‘We want you to see yourself in our product’.”

For many, that connection is irresistible.

Suzie Geria, a 37-year-old fitness trainer in Toronto, was surprised by how lifelike her AI-generated figure appeared—complete with a kettlebell and cartoon peach nodding to her glute-focused fitness class.

She expressed:

“It’s kind of cool to see yourself reflected in a cartoon form. I think we’re looking at other ways to see ourselves in the world we live in, which is very much online.”

While she empathizes with creatives affected by AI, she admitted the tech is undeniably impressive.

She added:

“It’s a tough one, but it’s bringing people joy as well.”

Others have leaned in with curiosity.

Pat Bassermann, a 42-year-old marketer in Massachusetts, typed a detailed prompt into ChatGPT and received an action figure version of himself labelled, “Wife & Kids Not Included. Messy House Sold Separately.”

Adding requests for grilling tongs and a “relaxed, friendly smile,” he wrote:

“Use this photo of me to create an action figure of myself in a blister pack, in the style like a premium collectible toy.”

His three daughters quickly followed suit, creating their own AI figurines adorned with ponytails, ballet slippers, a video game controller, and a cup of Boba tea.

Still, as the popularity of AI art surges, so does scrutiny.

Deepfakes—some explicit—have muddled political discourse, classroom discipline, and celebrity privacy.

Meanwhile, artists like Martha Ratcliff, a 29-year-old illustrator from Leeds, feel sidelined.

She has spent years developing her signature portraiture style and is disheartened to see AI tools mimic artistic expression without attribution or compensation.

She pointed out:

“But I think if you look at the bigger picture, there are a lot of creatives that are worried. You just don’t want it to wipe out the whole creative industry.”

Wanting to put her own spin on the trend, Ratcliff spent 20 minutes creating a hand-drawn version: herself holding her newborn, surrounded by flowers, coloured pencils, and a steaming mug labelled “mama.”

A gesture of artistry—and resistance.

She noted:

“A human doing it is so much better than a robot.”