Trend archive
The AI photo and video trends that came before this week's, as history: what each one was, when it peaked, what it cost and what people argued about, with the sources for every fact. You can't make these here; each page ends with the trends you can.
- Nano Banana 3D figurines · September 2025 →How a Gemini image model nicknamed Nano Banana turned selfies into boxed toy figurines in 2025, the numbers Google gave, and what you can make now.
- Studio Ghibli-style AI images · March to April 2025 →In March 2025 ChatGPT's new image tool set off a wave of Studio Ghibli-style photos. What happened, what OpenAI said, and why animators objected.
- AI yearbook photos · September to October 2023 →In October 2023 the EPIK app's AI Yearbook turned selfies into 90s school portraits and hit No. 1 on the App Store. What it was, what it cost, how it spread.
- Will Smith eating spaghetti · March 2023 →The garbled AI clip of Will Smith eating spaghetti from March 2023: who made it, with what, how it spread, Smith's own parody, and why it became a benchmark.
- The Pope in a puffer jacket · March 2023 →The Midjourney image of Pope Francis in a white puffer coat fooled millions in March 2023. Who made it, how it spread and what it changed, with sources.
- Lensa Magic Avatars · November to December 2022 →Lensa's Magic Avatars turned 10 to 20 selfies into AI portraits in late 2022. What it was, what it cost, the problems reporters found, and what to make now.