Caricatures generated by ChatGPT using a trending prompt, but the two shown here feature individuals who are not real people.
Welcome to 2026’s first viral AI trend, and oh boy, is it a doozy.
If your social feeds have suddenly transformed into a digital carnival of cartoonified humans surrounded by coffee mugs, laptops, and inexplicably giant heads, you’re not hallucinating. You have just witnessed the ChatGPT Caricature Trend, that’s taking the internet by absolute storm.
The magic formula everyone is copying and pasting is simple: "Create a caricature of me and my job based on everything you know about me."
That's it. That's literally all it takes. You upload a selfie, drop in that prompt, and ChatGPT spits out a playful, exaggerated cartoon version of you. It comes complete with props related to your job, your personality quirks, and (if you’re a regular user) shockingly accurate details pulled from your chat history.
Why this is hitting different
Unlike previous AI avatar trends (RIP Ghibli filter, you had a good run), this one hits different for a few key reasons:
It is creepily personalized. For Plus users, the AI does not just make you look cartoonish; it remembers you. One TechRadar writer found that ChatGPT included their office dogs in the background. That was a detail pulled directly from a conversation months ago. So, if you've ever complained about being caffeinated or stuck in Zoom hell, expect to see coffee cups and laptop screens everywhere.
It is stupid easy. No design skills are required and there are no sketchy apps to download. You just use the tool you already have. Even better, the free version lets you generate up to five images daily, so everyone is invited to the party.
It's actually shareable. These caricatures are hitting LinkedIn profiles, Instagram stories, and practically everywhere. People are using them as profile pictures, email signatures, and presentation slides. The professional-yet-playful vibe makes them perfect for both personal and work contexts.
Oh and fun fact: It broke the server. The trend went so nuclear that on Feb 4th, Downdetector lit up like a Christmas tree with 13,000+ reports of ChatGPT outages. OpenAI blamed "elevated error rates," but we all know the truth: the servers were choking on a million cartoon selfies
But before you run off to cartoonify yourself, we have to talk about the elephant in the room: privacy.
Cybersecurity experts are raising some legitimate red flags because when you upload a photo, you are potentially handing over biometric data (like facial features) and EXIF metadata (like your GPS location).
UAB researcher Shuya Feng pointed out that these models can learn your "bioinformations" directly from these uploads. Plus, once that data is in the system, you basically have zero leverage over what happens to it next. Some users are even accidentally revealing ID badges or sensitive computer screens in the background of their "fun" selfies.
So How to join the fun safely:
If you still want in (and honestly, who can blame you), here is how to do it without the digital hangover:
Strip your metadata. Use a tool to remove location data from your photo before uploading. Also: Your location, your company name, device info, timestamps, or specific family circumstances don't need to be part of the package.
Use a "clean" photo. Take a fresh selfie against a plain wall. Do not give the AI a tour of your office or home address in the background.
Check your settings. Go to Settings → Data Controls and turn off chat history and training if you do not want your face helping train the next model.
Be the boss. Instead of letting it guess, give it a specific prompt: "Create a caricature of me as a [job] using a [style] with [specific colors]."
Think before you share. Once it's on social media, it's out there forever. Ask yourself: "Would I be comfortable if this showed up in a Google search five years from now?"
The Big Picture
This is the exact dynamic that defines AI. The tools are incredible, the results are delightful, and the privacy implications are… well, we will probably figure those out later.
It shows how AI personalization has crossed a new threshold. ChatGPT isn't just responding anymore; it is building a profile of you. That is simultaneously amazing and mildly terrifying depending on your relationship with privacy. We are not going to tell you whether to participate, but remember: we often trade a lot of privacy for content that is this fun.
Is one caricature going to destroy your life? Probably not. But we are definitely normalizing a world where data disclosure is the price of entry for the "cool stuff."
You can learn more here.
