ChatGPT 4o‘s latest trend transforms users into adorable Chibi-style figures, capitalizing on the popularity of anime collectibles without the $10-100 price tag of physical figures. This phenomenon highlights AI’s evolving capability to create personalized digital memorabilia that closely mimics commercial products, while also raising questions about the environmental and privacy implications of casual AI image generation.
How it works: Users can create Chibi versions of themselves or others using a simple prompt in ChatGPT Plus 4o with just a clear photo.
- The prompt generates an image of a realistic glass gashapon capsule (similar to toy vending machine capsules) held between fingers, containing a miniaturized Chibi figure of the person.
- Unlike other AI image generation trends, this prompt focuses primarily on transforming the subject’s appearance and outfit without requiring extensive contextual information.
The technical process: The prompt instructs ChatGPT to create a specific style of collectible figure with recognizable characteristics.
- The Chibi style features exaggerated elements like compact bodies, oversized heads, and large eyes—making these digital figures instantly recognizable as part of the Japanese “small” or “short” aesthetic.
- The final image places the figure inside a plastic capsule reminiscent of Bandai’s Gashapon vending machine products, though such containers have been around for over five decades.
Real-world examples: The article’s author tested the prompt with several different subjects.
- The system successfully created Chibi versions of the author himself, Brad Pitt, and Mr. Rogers, focusing primarily on facial features and clothing details.
- The final images contain no recognizable backgrounds or accessories, putting all emphasis on the character representation.
Privacy considerations: The convenience of AI figure creation comes with potential data concerns.
- Users must upload their photos to OpenAI‘s servers, with no guarantees against those images being used to train future models.
- The process also consumes server-side electricity for both model building and prompt resolution, raising environmental considerations for frequent users.
Recent Stories
DOE fusion roadmap targets 2030s commercial deployment as AI drives $9B investment
The Department of Energy has released a new roadmap targeting commercial-scale fusion power deployment by the mid-2030s, though the plan lacks specific funding commitments and relies on scientific breakthroughs that have eluded researchers for decades. The strategy emphasizes public-private partnerships and positions AI as both a research tool and motivation for developing fusion energy to meet data centers' growing electricity demands. The big picture: The DOE's roadmap aims to "deliver the public infrastructure that supports the fusion private sector scale up in the 2030s," but acknowledges it cannot commit to specific funding levels and remains subject to Congressional appropriations. Why...
Oct 17, 2025Tying it all together: Credo’s purple cables power the $4B AI data center boom
Credo, a Silicon Valley semiconductor company specializing in data center cables and chips, has seen its stock price more than double this year to $143.61, following a 245% surge in 2024. The company's signature purple cables, which cost between $300-$500 each, have become essential infrastructure for AI data centers, positioning Credo to capitalize on the trillion-dollar AI infrastructure expansion as hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Elon Musk's xAI rapidly build out massive computing facilities. What you should know: Credo's active electrical cables (AECs) are becoming indispensable for connecting the massive GPU clusters required for AI training and inference. The company...
Oct 17, 2025Vatican launches Latin American AI network for human development
The Vatican hosted a two-day conference bringing together 50 global experts to explore how artificial intelligence can advance peace, social justice, and human development. The event launched the Latin American AI Network for Integral Human Development and established principles for ethical AI governance that prioritize human dignity over technological advancement. What you should know: The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Vatican's research body for social issues, organized the "Digital Rerum Novarum" conference on October 16-17, combining academic research with practical AI applications. Participants included leading experts from MIT, Microsoft, Columbia University, the UN, and major European institutions. The conference...