AI, identity and drama: Everyone's a character

Consumers are creating avatars, crafting narratives and in the process, redefining self-branding

- Gaurav Laghate

First it was dreamy Ghibli-style portraits. Then came Barbie-fied posters. And now, social media feeds are flooded with boxed action figures of everyday professionals, complete with accessories such as coffee mugs, laptops and clever titles like 'Deadline Warrior' or 'Chief Meme Officer'.

What began as playful experimentation with AI tools has snowballed into a cultural moment. Consumers aren't just taking selfies anymore but are creating avatars, crafting narratives and in the process, redefining self-branding. And, for marketers, it's a playground filled with promise and pitfalls.

"AI-generated self-portraits are the item numbers of the digital world—flashy and viral, but rarely central to the plot," said Harikrishnan Pillai, chief executive officer and co-founder of TheSmallBigIdea. "They may not decide the fate of the film, but they sure get the audience's attention."

Prachi Bali, executive vice president and head of Saatchi Propagate, sees this trend as part of a larger behavioral shift. "What this shows is how everybody wants to be a creator of some sort. Technology just feeds off this desire, with a layer of novelty and engagement that is active and allows us to parade as self-expression," she said.

These visual trends driven by tools such as Midjourney, Canva, DALL-E, Epik AI and Lensa tap into a craving for personalization, fantasy and social relevance. People are turning themselves into animated heroines, retro dolls or workplace-themed action figures. Often, these are less about vanity and more about signaling who we are, or want to be, in a curated digital world.