New Delhi: A viral social media trend that allows users to transform their selfies into vintage-style saree portraits using Google Gemini’s “Nano Banana” AI feature is raising serious privacy concerns.

The tool, which generates highly stylized edits of uploaded photos, has gained immense popularity across Instagram and other platforms, where users showcase retro saree looks and Bollywood-inspired portraits. However, experts caution that the fun may come at a cost.

Users have reported unsettling experiences, such as the AI inserting details like moles or tattoos that were not present in the uploaded photo. One viral case involved a woman who discovered that the edited image showed a mole on her hand, even though her original photo did not.

These incidents have fueled suspicion about whether the system is inferring personal details or drawing from unseen data.

Google has stated that Gemini-generated images are embedded with SynthID, an invisible watermark and metadata to mark them as AI-generated. The company also claims that uploaded photos are not permanently stored, though critics argue the policies remain unclear and raise questions about how long data is retained and whether it is used for model training.

Cybersecurity experts warn that uploading personal images can expose individuals to identity theft, misuse in deepfakes, and other forms of fraud.

Authorities in India have also issued advisories, urging users to be cautious when participating in such trends.

The trend’s popularity highlights the growing appeal of AI-driven creative tools but also underscores the risks of sharing sensitive personal data online. Experts recommend that users avoid uploading identifiable photos, carefully review platform privacy policies, and remain vigilant about how their digital likenesses may be reused.

As AI image-editing features become more widespread, calls for stronger regulation and transparency in how tech companies handle user data are growing louder.