BE THE MAIN CHARACTER

AI ACTION FIGURES FLOOD SOCIAL MEDIA (ACCESSORIES INCLUDED)

- STORY: CALLIE HOLTERMANN / NYT

This week, actress Brooke Shields posted an image of an action-figure version of herself that came with a needlepoint kit and a pet terrier.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene imagined her own figurine accompanied by a gavel and a Bible.

These hyper-realistic dolls are nowhere to be found in toy stores, at least for the time being. They are being created using artificial intelligence tools, including ChatGPT.

In recent weeks, social media users have been turning to Al to generate Barbie-fied versions of themselves, their dogs or their favourite famous figures. Anna Wintour has not been spared the Al-doll treatment. Neither has Ludwig van Beethoven.

The trend has frustrated illustrators who oppose the use of unlicensed artwork to train these artificial intelligence tools, and who remain concerned about the effects of AI on their livelihoods. Several have responded by posting similar images of figurines that they illustrated themselves.

"HUMAN MADE", reads a text bubble in the corner of one such illustration by Linh Truong, who depicted herself with her sketchbook and her cat, Kayla.