Want an AI-made 1980s makeover? Think twice before uploading your photo

Chances are that you have also joined the latest ChatGPT trend that has people turning their personal photographs into retro-looking images inspired by the 1980s. From vintage hairstyles and outfits to old-school colours and film-like textures, users increasingly catching on the trend to AI-generate.

An AI-generated image capturing the viral 1980s image trend (ChatGPT)But as the trend goes viral, it also raises a familiar question – how safe is it to upload a personal photograph, particularly one showing your face, to an AI chatbot? Privacy concerns around AI-generated.

What Happened

Earlier viral trends, including the ChatGPT Ghibli-style as well as caricature image craze, have been among the times that prompted cybersecurity and privacy experts to warn users about the amount of personal information they were voluntarily handing over to AI platforms. When.

• Avoid photos containing other people unless you're comfortable with them being included too.

• A clear face is personal information, so treat it differently from an anonymous stock image.

• Only upload a photo you're comfortable sharing with the service.

Key Details

Moore also warned about what happens after users upload photographs and personal details to an AI chatbot. "This information gets stored and is used to train these impressive models alongside unclear long term uses."

• Yes - generally, uploading a personal photo to ChatGPT to create an 1980s-style image is reasonable, but there are some privacy considerations.

• When ChatGPT was asked specifically whether uploading a personal photograph to create an 1980s-style picture is safe, it said there are privacy considerations despite describing the practice as generally reasonable.

• These comments were made in the context of the earlier Ghibli trend, but the basic issue - users voluntarily uploading photographs to an AI service to transform them - also applies to newer image-generation.

Why It Matters

The concern, experts said, can grow as users provide more information to get a more accurate AI-generated image. "If the result isn't accurate, they simply add more context, effectively training an AI system with highly personal data."

• Moreover, the trend is ongoing, and people are learning that when they want a fun avatar of themselves, they can simply upload their pictures to ChatGPT.

• She further said OpenAI was gaining access to personal or private images that might otherwise remain unavailable to it.

What Reports Say

Coverage of the story so far points to:

• Continued reporting by Hindustan Times as more details emerge