AI-Generated 1980s Portraits Grow Popular, but Privacy Risks Remain

The latest social media craze involves AI services converting ordinary selfies into stylized 1980s-era portraits, complete with grainy textures and period-specific hairstyles, and the trend has been adopted by both everyday users and celebrities across Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. In response to privacy questions, ChatGPT explained that uploaded images are not fully private and may be used to improve models unless users disable the “Improve the model for everyone” option in settings.

Google’s Gemini gave a similar warning, noting that facial biometrics and image metadata can be retained on cloud servers, with activity deletable via the Activity tab but possibly kept for up to 72 hours. Experts recommend avoiding pictures of children or documents, reviewing each service’s data-retention policies, and using lower-resolution images when possible. While the nostalgic edits are harmless fun, they involve sharing personal data that could be stored or repurposed by the AI providers.