Viral 80s AI Photo Trend Turns Political as BJP, Congress Trade Jabs Using AI-Generated Images
A social media craze driven by generative artificial intelligence has quickly turned into an online political battleground, as India’s leading political rivals, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress, exchange targeted political jabs using the viral 80s AI photo trend.
A social media craze driven by generative artificial intelligence has quickly turned into an online political battleground, as India’s leading political rivals, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress, exchange targeted political jabs using the viral 80s AI photo trend.
What started as a lighthearted internet movement—where social media users utilized ChatGPT to transform contemporary portraits into film-grain-heavy, retro snapshots—gained widespread traction after senior political leaders embraced the viral 80s AI photo trend. Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Piyush Goyal were among the early adopters, sharing nostalgic, 1980s-styled versions of themselves online. Viral 80s AI Photo Trend: Is It Safe To Upload Photos to ChatGPT?.
However, the lighthearted wave rapidly shifted tone when state units of rival political factions co-opted the viral 80s AI photo trend for targeted political attacks.
The Congress party's Kerala chapter triggered the escalation by sharing an AI-generated image depicting a bald man seated inside a Maruti Suzuki Omni alongside the text, "A Gujarat street in the 80s." The post invoked popular Indian pop-culture tropes surrounding the vehicle—often associated in Bollywood media with criminal subtext—to land a subtle political hit on its opponents.
Congress AI Post Revives 80s Gujarat Political Dig
A Gujarat street in the 80s. pic.twitter.com/MkczhpiKFQ
— Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) September 10, 2026
The BJP’s Telangana unit responded with a counter-strike, reposting Congress's upload alongside a separate AI-generated image depicting a woman dancing inside a bar. The post carried a brief caption reading, "Lusiana, Italy. Circa-1970s"—an explicit nod to the Italian birthplace of senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. What Is the Viral 80s AI Photo Trend? Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your Own Retro Images Using ChatGPT.
BJP Counters Congress With AI-Generated Bar Image
Lusiana, Italy 🇮🇹
Circa-1970’s https://t.co/FesEklJWyX pic.twitter.com/MwFcVddPFt
— BJP Telangana (@BJP4Telangana) September 10, 2026
The back-and-forth highlights how rapidly consumer AI tools are being repurposed for political messaging and smear campaigns. Featuring realistic film grain, date stamps, and detailed subject modifications beyond standard color filters, the ChatGPT retro photo trend has provided political parties with a quick medium for visual satire and political warfare.
As generative AI tools become increasingly accessible to the public, the political weaponization of the viral 80s AI photo trend underscores a broader evolution in modern digital strategy. Political organizations are now adept at co-opting mainstream viral trends within hours, transforming popular internet cultural movements into active tools for political discourse and ideological sparring.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 10, 2026 03:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
