Viral AI 80s photo trend: Delhi Police warns ‘nostalgia’ could be a trap
Nostalgic 80s-style AI portraits raise red flags over identity theft and fraud
Delhi Police has warned social media users about the security risks of the viral AI trend that turns current selfies into glamorous-looking 1980s portraits.
The trend has spread rapidly across Instagram and X, with users uploading selfies to AI tools such as ChatGPT and asking them to recreate their portraits with big hairstyles, period clothing, neon or studio lighting and vintage film grain.
The results can look remarkably realistic, helping fuel the trend. But Delhi Police has cautioned that what appears to be harmless nostalgia could expose users to identity misuse, fraud and blackmail.
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How the ‘80s photo’ trend works
Users typically upload a clear selfie and enter a prompt asking AI to recreate their appearance in an 1980s style. The AI retains recognisable facial features while changing the hair, clothing, lighting, background and image texture.
Unlike older photo filters that simply added effects to an existing picture, generative AI can create an entirely new image while maintaining a person's facial identity.
Delhi Police flags photo misuse risks
Delhi Police urged users to think twice before uploading personal photographs to unknown AI tools.
“Looks like nostalgia but it could be a trap,” the police warned in a social media post, highlighting the risk of images being misused to create fake profiles, facilitate blackmail or enable cyber fraud.
The advisory also warned users against clicking random links offering trendy AI filters, which could potentially be used to trick people into handing over personal information or photographs.
What happens when you upload a selfie?
A photograph can contain more information than just a person's appearance. Facial features can constitute personal data, while the original image may also contain metadata such as the date it was taken, the device used and, in some cases, location information.
The background can reveal additional details, including house numbers, street signs, vehicle registration plates, workplaces or other people appearing in the frame.
For ChatGPT consumer accounts, OpenAI says conversations, including uploaded images, may be used to improve its models unless users opt out through their settings. This does not mean every uploaded photograph is automatically used for training; data handling depends on the service and the user's settings.
How to protect your photos
Users who want to try the trend can take a few precautions before uploading a selfie:
Check privacy and data-control settings before uploading.
Use Temporary Chat if appropriate. OpenAI says Temporary Chats are not used to train its models, do not appear in chat history and are deleted from its systems within 30 days, subject to certain exceptions.
Crop out unnecessary background details.
Blur house numbers, vehicle plates and other identifying information.
Avoid uploading identity documents, private records or intimate images.
Do not upload photographs of other people, particularly children, without their permission.
Avoid unknown websites or apps offering similar AI filters.
OpenAI also provides an “Improve the model for everyone” setting under Settings > Data Controls, which users can turn off if they do not want new conversations to be used for model improvement.
Delhi Police urges users to stay alert
Delhi Police said misuse of photographs could lead to fake profiles, fraud, blackmail and other forms of cybercrime.
Anyone who becomes a victim of cyber fraud in India can report it by calling 1930 or through the government’s cybercrime reporting portal.
The warning comes as AI-generated photo trends continue to spread across social media, with cybersecurity experts repeatedly urging users to consider the privacy implications before uploading high-quality images of themselves.
