Pakistani celebrities have joined a viral social media trend using AI to reimagine themselves as stars from the 1980s, but the trend has also sparked concerns over deepfakes, privacy and the use of people’s images without consent. Celebrities including Saboor Aly and Yasir Hussain shared AI-generated images of themselves on Instagram, while entertainment platform Mashion posted AI-created versions of Mahira Khan, Mawra Hocane, Ayeza Khan, Anmol Baloch, Sanam Saeed, Aina Asif and Zara Noor Abbas. View this post on Instagram Mashion described the images as a reimagining of Pakistani actresses as leading ladies of the 1980s. However, some followers questioned the need to use AI for the trend and whether the celebrities had consented to having their likenesses digitally recreated. Yasir Hussain also shared AI-generated images, including one featuring himself and his wife, actor Iqra Aziz. Saboor Aly posted an AI-generated image featuring Ali Ansari on her Instagram Story. Other celebrities who joined the trend included Shahroz Sabzwari, Mariyam Nafees, Anoushey Ashraf, Zhalay Sarhadi, Noor Hassan, Nimra Khan and Armeena Khan. The trend drew criticism from digital rights activist Usama Khilji, who warned users against uploading their faces to AI platforms, arguing that such images could potentially be used to create deepfakes. Meanwhile, Bilal Maqsood of Strings took a different approach, sharing an actual throwback photograph from the band’s earlier days instead of using AI. The growing popularity of AI-generated nostalgia has renewed discussions about consent, data privacy and how digital likenesses can be collected and used by artificial intelligence tools.
Pakistani celebrities embrace AI’s 1980s trend despite deepfake concerns
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