AI trend that lets you discover a different self

What if a single line of text could bend time, blur reality, and turn imagination into a photograph? That's precisely what today's AI image tools are doing. It's taking us back to childhood, fast-forwarding into the future, or conjuring the impossible in a single, picture-perfect frame.

The internet is currently swept up in the new social media trends called 'Hug my younger self', 'Vintage saree trend' or '3D figurine trend', fueled by Google Gemini's Nano Banana.

Nano Banana is Google Gemini's AI-powered image editing tool that lets users generate or modify photos through text prompts. It can blend multiple images, preserve subject details, and apply creative styles like polaroid or retro effects. If the result is not what the user had expected,  they can refine it by adding more details to the prompt.

Nano Banana shows how fast AI-powered creativity is shaping cultures, more than just a fun way to turn yourself into a digital figurine.

In weeks, the Gemini app gained millions of users. It is turning the trend into both a marketing win and a real-time experiment in how people interact with AI.

The trend 'Hug my younger self' uses AI to generate charming, Polaroid-style images of people embracing their younger selves.

Or even AI is giving people the chance to hug the childhood version of their loved ones. Or their favourite celebrity they had always wished to meet at least once in their life. It gives users a chance to reimagine the past in a touching, heartwarming way, blending nostalgia with creativity.

To try it yourself, get the Google Gemini app from the Play Store or App Store. Sign in and choose two images, one of your current self and one from your childhood. Then type a prompt like, Take a photo taken with a Polaroid camera. The photo should look like an ordinary photograph without an explicit subject or property. The photo should have a slight blur and a consistent light source, like a flash from a dark room, scattered throughout the picture. Change the background behind those two people with white curtains. Make it look like both people in the reference pictures are hugging each other. Gemini will generate the image in moments. Use the Redo option if you want to refine the result.

Another 'Vintage saree trend' is taking social media by storm. With Gemini's Nano Banana tool, users are transforming ordinary photographs into stunning, vintage Bollywood-style portraits.

From avatars to art projects and even marketing campaigns, these tiny digital figurines are popping up everywhere online. They're a playful reminder that technology isn't just about efficiency, it's about imagination, nostalgia, and sheer fun.

Yet beneath the fun lies a question we often overlook: "Are we aware of the hidden costs? After all, in this world, joy rarely comes without a price."

"I found the trend of creating images with Gemini really fascinating. After all, it's not possible to do a photoshoot in every theme. The best part is that anyone can follow these trends since it doesn't require much technological knowledge," said Asia Akter Tuly, a Dhaka University student who had tried out the new AI trend.

She added, "While many people do this just for fun, I believe there are some security concerns as well. AI constantly stores data about our facial structure and other personal information, which could later pose various threats to our security. And another serious issue has already emerged, which is the false standard of beauty. We now want to see ourselves as the flawless version AI creates, which is naturally impossible."

Google Gemini itself has issued its own warning, reminding users to be careful and mindful while using the AI. The Google APIs Terms of Service, Gemini API Additional Terms, and the Google Privacy Policy govern how the service can be used.

The prompts you enter and the AI's responses may be reviewed and could help train Google's AI models. This means you should avoid submitting sensitive or personal information.

In 2024, AIRO researchers published a study on AI algorithms that can analyse vast amounts of data to identify patterns and anomalies that may indicate a cyber threat.

Machine learning models are trained on historical data to recognise the signatures of known malware and detect new, previously unseen threats.

As AI becomes more integrated into everyday tools and security systems, the question of trust and accountability grows sharper.

On one hand, tools like Google Gemini are making creativity and work faster than ever. On the other side, the same technology is also changing the way cyber threats appear. Hackers are now testing AI to create deepfakes, write smarter phishing messages, and bypass regular security checks.

At the same time, cybersecurity experts are using AI to scan vast amounts of data, identify unusual activity and react quickly to new attacks. This shows the reality that with AI progress, risks are rising together. The way we use it today will shape how safe our digital world will be tomorrow.

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