While internet users create Barbie versions of themselves, experts warn about the energy consumed by artificial intelligence and data protection.
It's part of a new trend where people are using generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT and Kopilot to repackage themselves, literally, into the form of pocket puppets and action figures.
The whole thing has skyrocketed online, with brands and influencers constantly playing with creating miniature versions of themselves.
But some are urging people to refrain from this seemingly harmless trend, saying that fear of missing out on the fun should not outweigh concerns about energy consumption and data overload for VI.
- What is the magic of 'Studio Ghibli' that has the internet obsessed with it?
- TikTok filter that made people look fat has been removed
- Why China's DeepSeek is a serious competitor to ChatGPT
How does the VI puppet generator work?
It may sound complicated, but the process is actually simple.
People enter their own images into a tool like ChatGPT, along with written prompts explaining how they want the final image to look.
These instructions are really very important.
They tell the AI tool what to generate, from the items the person wants to appear with to the type of packaging they want it to be in, which includes mimicking the box and font of popular toys like Barbie.
Many further personalize it with their name, job, and clothing choice.
It doesn't always work, and many have shared some of the more amusing mistakes the tools have made, where the action figures look nothing like them.
Like other generative AI tools, image generators are also prone to fabrication, and many just assume what someone should look like.
And it's not just ordinary people who use them - the trend has been embraced by a host of online brands, including cosmetics company Mario Badescu and even Britain's Royal Mail.
What is the attraction?
Trends come and go, but it's their nature that they can make people feel compelled to participate in order to avoid missing out on the main event.
"Generative AI makes it easier and faster for people to create and connect with trends," says Jasmine Enberg, chief social analyst at eMarketer.
She says technology has made it easier and faster to create online content, which can have the unexpected effect of speeding up the pace, and which can annoy other social media users.
But she believes that AI-enabled trends will become more common in our feeds "as technology becomes a more regular part of our digital lives."
What are the main reasons for concern?
And while people may have been attracted by the lighthearted fun, the trend has come under fire from people concerned about its negative impact on the environment.
Professor Gina Neff from Queen Mary University of London tells the BBC that ChatGPT is "a power hog", and the data centres used to power it consume more electricity in a year than 117 countries.
"We joke in my house that every time we make one of these AI memes, it kills a tree," says Lance Ulanoff, US editor of TechRadar, in the text about this trend.
“That’s hyperbole, of course, but we can safely say that generating VI content is not without costs.
"Maybe we need to think about it a little more and use it differently."
People also pointed out that copyrighted data may have been used to create technology that generates images without their payment.
"Twitter Barbie poses a triple threat: to our privacy, to our culture, and to our planet," says Neff.
"And while personalization may feel good, these systems throw brands and characters into a blender without accountability for the mess that ultimately comes out of it."
And Joe Bromilov, social media director and influencer at PR and creative agency MSL UK, wonders: "Is the cute, funny result really worth it?"
"If we really want to use AI properly, we need to set limits on how to use it responsibly," she says.
I tried the trend with VI dolls
By: Zoe Kleinman, BBC Technology Editor
I started by finding a suggested prompt online - a list of instructions to put into the VI tool to generate an image for you.
You have to upload a selfie with the instructions and you have to be very specific about what you want, even including a list of accessories you want with it and what color you want the box to be.
I found that it took quite a while to create my perfect pocket version wrapped in plastic.
When it came to inserting the job title, my first attempt was rejected because I put BBC News, and I was told I was violating the content policy - I think it's because the BBC currently doesn't allow ChatGPT to use its effect.
Once you have the image, you'll probably want to further refine it; my first attempt was too cartoonish.
In the next, more realistic version, I looked considerably older than I am, then childlike, and eventually I gave up trying to use the true color of my eyes, which kept shifting back to blue (my eyes are a mix of hazel and green).
It took a few minutes for each version to come up and the overall process was slower than I would have liked, potentially due to its popularity.
It really started to seem like too much work for a basically passing trend, and it wasn't perfect either - my doll stretches far beyond its intended packaging.
But, most importantly, somewhere in the data centers, some red-hot computer servers were smoking while they were making the Zoe Action Figure.
They could almost certainly have been used for much more useful things.
- French woman loses €830.000 thinking she's in a relationship with Brad Pitt
- How "Terminator" predicted all our fears about artificial intelligence and what we can learn
- How photos and videos on the internet are changing the way we think
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube i Viber. If you have a topic suggestion for us, please contact bbcnasrpskom@bbc.co.uk
Bonus video:
