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which AI platform have you given my likeness to grandma?
Old people are generating AI photobooks, photographs of ‘memories’ from decades ago, and fake family scenes that never happened. While it might be fun for grandma, Gen Zers who are more savvy about AI infrastructure are concerned about privacy and consent.
The rise (and rise) of AI poses many threats: widespread redundancies, excessive water use, even the potential extinction of humanity, if our tech overlords are to be believed.
Now, to add to the list of new, man-made horrors, grandmas are flooding Facebook with AI-generated pictures of their Gen Z grandkids using Gemini, ChatGPT, and other platforms. Posts often feature fake images from decades prior, automated depictions of ‘family gatherings,’ and other personalised content. The intention is sweet enough, but many Gen Zers find the images a little uncomfortable, particularly as they’re often made without their consent and utilise unregulated tools such as X’s Grok.
Business Insider published a deep dive this week into a rapidly growing phenomenon, as most of us try to keep up with a new technology that is steadily infiltrating every corner of the internet.
The article highlights a fundamental difference in the way that social media platforms and, by extension, AI tools are understood by both young and old. For many Baby Boomers, privacy was a given throughout most of their adult lives, with an assumption that their personal information would be protected and mostly theirs to keep. Millennials and Gen Zers, meanwhile, have grown up through a fundamental shift, where sensitive data is repeatedly sold and misused by tech companies across the world.
When a parent asks that their child’s images not be used by AI, a grandparent may think they’re overreacting, raising alarm bells over a ‘worst-case scenario’ that seems wildly unlikely. Yet, we know that concerns over real pictures and the data that is given over to tech companies are rooted in reality, as history has shown us that our information will be exploited.
Look at the Cambridge Analytica scandal, repeated election interference, and even the Meta Glasses controversy currently underway if you want an idea as to how Facebook handles consumer data. Why should the race to be the leading AI platform be any different?
Studies show that Gen Z uses these tools much more than their grandparents do, with up to 75% of those under 30 reporting that they incorporated AI into their lives in 2025. We’ve written before about the unease and uncertainty surrounding automation, as young people increasingly rely on ChatGPT despite worrying about eroding job opportunities and potential damage to cognitive thinking. For Gen Z, AI has become a foundational staple of their workflows and creative process, closely associated with work, career progression, and productivity, even if they’re unsure about the ethical implications.
By contrast, Baby Boomers have barely touched AI tools, only using built-in features on Meta platforms (mostly Facebook). For them, creating fake, ‘cutesy’ images of their relatives or themselves is a fun, entertaining pastime. There is little consideration for the data harvesting that quietly works away in the background and a lack of understanding that using images without consent can feel uncomfortable for Gen Zers who do everything they can to protect themselves online.
It’s not just the potential for Zuckerberg to steal our likeness that has everyone flustered, either. If tons of images of grandchildren and family members are generated, with older people gifting them as presents and hanging them up on their walls, does AI start to erode our memories and personal narratives?
In this Reddit thread, for example, one user mentions a birthday party where a young child was given an AI picture of themselves with a famous boy band. ‘The child was in awe,’ the user wrote. ‘They asked their mum when the picture was taken because they (child) couldn’t remember meeting the band. Everyone laughed in amusement, but I know that kid is going to remember that moment forever and feel cheated.’
It’s easy for the lines to become blurred, particularly as automated images move from digital spaces into real-world situations. This technology is still very much in its infancy. As experts tell us it could ‘wipe out humanity’ and as legislators desperately try to keep up, the numbers show more of us are using AI and relying on it every day. We’re allowing it to enter our personal spaces, use our data, and affect our family relationships without fully understanding the consequences. Hesitancy wouldn’t go amiss — a reality that Gen Z appears to be far more aware of than their grandparents.
We appreciate the enthusiasm, and it’s hard to tell our elders off. There’s nothing wrong with wanting a cute family photo, but it would probably be a lot easier and healthier to simply take a real photo. Maybe we should all crack the Polaroids out and throw things back to the 1990s. At least then Meta can’t analyse our faces, right?
See also:
- Why are the music charts full of old songs?
- Gen Z’s skills seem to be on the decline…but why?
- Is Gen Z running out of friends?
