How to make yourself into an AI action figure

Summary

Get creative with generative AI for personalized action figures.
Easily make action figures by following specific prompts on ChatGPT.
Use ChatGPT to bring favorite book characters to life through tweaking prompts.

If you’re on any sort of social media, there’s a chance you’ve seen some suspiciously familiar action figures in pristine packaging slide across your feed. Besides the uncanny-vaIley-ness of it, the latest generative AI trend that content creators and brands alike have jumped on like a Westward bandwagon flying towards virality, and it’s surprisingly easy to make it yourself.

It’s like 2014’s “starter pack” trend met OpenAI and eloped in a Barbie-themed Vegas chapel. Regardless of its usefulness or even longevity, I have to admit that it’s fun. I tried it as an editor here at Pocket-lint, my alter-ego as a freelance social media manager, and even poked around creating my favorite book characters boxed with their respective iconic accessories.

Here’s how to turn yourself — or someone else — into an action figure with ChatGPT.

AI training models are very controversial right now — they’re well-known for simply stealing things from across the internet without providing proper credit where it’s often due. Please note that this guide is for personal entertainment and does not condone the use of generative AI for commercial use, theft of intellectual property, or replacement of any artists or creators.

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How to make a personalized action figure with ChatGPT

For yourself or others

You’ll only need two things: a front-facing full-body photo and a dream. Keep in mind the golden rule of ChatGPT, too: the more specific you get, the better the output the generative AI will pop out.

Follow these steps:

Go to ChatGPT.com.
Upload a front-facing full-body photograph by dragging and dropping it into the “Ask anything” box.
Copy and paste this prompt into the text box. Replace all the bolded text with your own customizations:

Please create a realistic 3D action figure resembling a Barbie-style doll, displayed inside a plastic blister package with a pastel or stylized cardboard background. Attached is a photo for a more specific reference of how I want it to look.

The doll is named “[YOUR NAME or CHARACTER NAME]” and [his/her] role is “[PROFESSION or IDENTITY]”.

[He/she] has [HAIR STYLE & COLOR], [EYE COLOR], and a [BODY TYPE]. He/she should appear [FACIAL EXPRESSION OR VIBE].

Dress them in [OUTFIT STYLE & COLORS] that reflects her character or career.

Inside the packaging, include these accessories on one side:

[TOOL, e.g., MacBook, tablet, DSLR camera]
[GO-TO ACCESSORY, e.g., latte, green juice, passport, planner]
[HEADPHONES TYPE, e.g., AirPods Max, over-ear headphones]
[WORK OR HOBBY ITEM, e.g., camera, pen set, yoga mat, books]

The packaging should say “[Name]” in large letters and “[Role or Title]” underneath. Include a small “Ages 4+” tag in the lower corner.

Just like all generative AI, you might want to fine-tune your first couple of results. Luckily, ChatGPT allows you to create up to 15 images a day for free, so you have some room to make some tweaks — or even play with other roles you’ve imagined yourself in. Not to make you wonder what you’re doing with your life, or anything. Surfer Kelsey needs to stop looking so hard at Editor Kelsey, or is it just me?

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You can make anything you want

Get creative with generative AI

One thing everyone can agree that generative AI is good for is pushing the boundaries of our imaginations. While AI art has artists all over the world up in arms (rightfully so, in my opinion), it does give the average Jane and Joe the ability to bring ideas to life that they could never accomplish with a brush and palette. So, whether your imagination wants to picture you in the Fae realm as opposed to the cubicle you’re sitting in or bringing your favorite book characters to life, have at it with your prompting and tweaking.

I personally took full advantage of my Pro subscription and brought some of my favorite fictional characters to life.

Aelin Galathynius from Sarah J Maas’ Throne of Glass series
Percy Jackson from Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson & the Olympians series
Violet Sorrengail from Rebecca Yarros’ Empyrean Series

Now, each of these took some major tweaking, and it can get frustrating to tell ChatGPT one thing and sometimes have it completely ignore you. It spat out various versions of Percy Jackson that will haunt my monitor for some time (affirmation of the day: corporate-finance-bro-Percy-Jackson can’t hurt you, he isn’t real).

One more thing: don’t expect it to be perfect, even after you go ham with the tweaks. Generative AI is still experimental, and you can ask it the same prompt the exact same way and get two very different images. Check out these versions of Violet Sorrengail that weren’t nearly up to par with what I asked for originally (poor Violet):

To be very honest, I spent most of the day tweaking and fine-tuning the images, and even then I wasn’t able to perfect the images I had in mind. If you’re a perfectionist, this trend might drive you completely nuts — I know it had my eye twitching by 4PM.