A week after OpenAI launched ChatGPT Images 2.0, Indian users are turning the tool into something far bigger than an AI photo editor.
From turning selfies into anime posters and cinematic headshots, to generating tarot cards, fantasy newspaper covers, and “style me” fashion moodboards, ChatGPT’s latest image model is quickly becoming part of India’s internet culture, especially among young users experimenting with identity, aesthetics, and storytelling online.
The new model is designed to handle far more complex image generation tasks: from accurately rendering text and multilingual prompts to creating highly detailed visuals with minimal instructions. It’s also OpenAI’s first image model with “thinking” capabilities, meaning it can reason through prompts, generate multiple distinct outputs, and even use web context in real time for smarter visual creation.
But beyond the tech, the social behaviour around it is what’s standing out, with usage extending far beyond workplace or productivity use-cases. In fact, India has the highest number of users for ChatGPT’s Images 2.0, since its launch one week ago.
Instead, Indian users are leaning heavily into self-expression, internet aesthetics, and pop culture formats.
The biggest trends emerging in India right now include:
Universal Lighting → turning everyday photos into dramatic studio-style portraits
Headshot → polished LinkedIn, creator, and celebrity-style profile images
Anime → manga-inspired transformations and stylised avatars
Spring → soft pastel, dreamy seasonal aesthetics
Style Me → AI-generated fashion transformations and outfit concepts
Flash → paparazzi-style editorial imagery
Fantasy Newspaper → users creating fictional newspaper covers starring themselves
Enhance → restoring and upgrading older or low-quality photos
Tarot → mystical card-inspired portraits and storytelling visuals
Blueprint → futuristic architecture, room redesigns, and visual planning concepts
Like many other markets, in India, there are also country-level prompts that are growing in popularity. These include cinematic portrait collage, Y2K romantic portrait, and others.
The trend reflects how AI image generation in India is increasingly blending with creator culture, fandoms, fashion, and social media identity, rather than being limited to traditional “AI productivity” use-cases. And if the first week is anything to go by, ChatGPT Images 2.0 may be less about replacing creativity, and more about giving millions of people a new visual language for the internet.