Why have ChatGPT Starter Packs gone viral?

Over the past few weeks, ChatGPT-generated Starter Packs have taken over social media. Thanks to this new feature, anyone can create an original version of themselves in the style of a 90s figurine—think Barbie or Action Man. The idea? To represent yourself as a collector’s toy, complete with accessories that define you, and then share the result online. It’s fun, creative, and totally personalized!

Why Did the Starter Pack Go Viral?

I think a lot of people would have loved to have artistic talent and be able to draw whatever they wanted (or create logos like the graphic designers at the Wibicom communications agency), but unfortunately, most of us just don’t have the time to learn how to draw. That’s where AI comes in! With image generation, you don’t need to be good at drawing to create something beautiful and easy to understand. All you need is a clear idea of what you want and the ability to describe it through prompts to ChatGPT—for instance, specifying a figurine in a Barbie or Action Man-style toy box, along with accessories that represent your daily life or personality.

One of the hardest things is describing your appearance well enough for the figurine to truly resemble you, and being able to tweak the description if the result doesn’t match your expectations. Still, when you’re offered the chance to create a mini version of yourself with zero drawing skills, of course you’re going to jump at it! Today, everyone can easily access ChatGPT, and you don’t even have to pay to generate an image or two. That’s why this trend spread so quickly on social media, with people creating Starter Packs for everything and anything—Marie Antoinette, a middle finger emoji guy, iconic Friends characters, or even the zodiac signs! Here are a few examples:

The first Starter Packs

You should know that the Starter Pack trend actually began in 2014—two years before the Wibicom agency was founded—in a different form, initially on Twitter (now X), before spreading to other platforms. Originally, a Starter Pack was a collage of several images meant to humorously represent stereotypes. A great example is the Instagram account @patheticfashion, which has been creating all kinds of Starter Packs for years. In those days, they were “handmade”: people had to think about which images to use, search for them on different platforms, and then put together a collage. It gave off a vintage/retro yet simplistic vibe.

With the evolution of AI and the long-standing popularity of this trend, many people on LinkedIn began generating their own visual Starter Packs using ChatGPT to join in—adding a more professional touch and taking advantage of artificial intelligence. Later on, platforms like AI Sisters started helping people craft effective prompts, which helped make the ChatGPT-style Starter Packs even more widespread on social media.

Artists’ reactions to the trend

It’s no secret that many artists feel threatened by the rise of accessible and easy-to-use AI tools. We’ve already seen this with the “Touche pas à ma VF” movement launched by voice actors, which led to a petition (with 206,000 signatures) aimed at making their concerns heard: that AI could cost thousands of people their jobs in the audiovisual industry if it keeps advancing unchecked. Many other creative professions that rely on producing visual work are at risk. The team at the Wibicom agency, like many communication professionals, would be terrified if AI were to replace them.

In response to this trend, Instagram user @patouret started a new movement: #starterpacknoai. Many illustrator-artists quickly followed, creating 100% handmade Starter Packs and adding the hashtag in their captions. It has already reached 20,300 posts on Instagram, although you’ll also find many AI-free Starter Packs under the broader #starterpack hashtag. This movement aims to raise awareness about how dangerous AI-generated imagery can be for artists. Artists like @daejee.studio explain that they prefer the satisfaction of having created something themselves. @lenapiroux added a humorous touch in her post, saying the AI Starter Packs “smell a bit too much like plastic” and she didn’t want to stick around. I found @madie_arts’ caption especially touching:

Like with the ChatGPT-made ones, many people create representations of themselves, while others have fun making Starter Packs for celebrities:

In any case, even though the AI version is much more accessible, we have to admit the final result and endless personalization offered by artists’ versions are much more pleasant to look at. In the comments under #starterpacknoai posts, you can see that many people have picked a side in this trend and are supporting the artists—who, frankly, will never be fully replaced by AI-generated images.

Eventually, generating a Starter Pack became so common that people stopped paying attention—many of them started to look the same. But when you stumble upon a handmade one by an artist, your eye is immediately drawn to all the colors and that unique personal style.

What if the concept went even further?

Imagine if, in a few years, we could actually order a physical Starter Pack of ourselves, based on a description and chosen accessories? That would be amazing as a decoration or a gift for a birthday or Christmas! Whether it’s for yourself, a couple, a friendship, or a family, it could really take off, given the enthusiasm we’ve seen on social media.

And what about you—would you buy your own Starter Pack if you had the chance?

To wrap things up, of course the author of this article had to make her own Starter Pack! So here’s the version of Marie, the intern at the Wibicom communications agency: