heightenedAI involvement and feelings of aggravation persist
Rebooting the Ice Bucket Challenge: A New Spin on an Old Tradition
Summer 2014 saw the social media juggernaut that was the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. It was all about dousing yourself with cold water and challenging pals to follow suit. The ALS Association reports that this trend not only sparked interest in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease) but also raised an impressive $115 million for medical research, care, and advocacy.
Fast forward to today, and my teen requests a chilly dousing of her own. It turns out there's a brand-new USC Speak Your MIND Ice Bucket Challenge, which was launched back in spring by the MIND Club (Mental Illness Needs Discussion) at the University of South Carolina. This revamped version aims to promote mental health awareness and collect donations for Active Minds, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming mental health norms.
Another viral sensation took the internet by storm in early spring. You guessed it—March 25 welcomed OpenAI's free advanced image generator for its GPT-4o model, ChatGPT. Suddenly, social media feeds were brimming with AI-crafted action figures of varying quality.
Determined to patch things up with AI after last year's botched headshot attempt, I figured a lighter touch was in order. AI-powered GenAI tools such as ChatGPT rely on your prompts for results. A fleeting flash of inspiration ("use this photo to make a posable action figure") won't get you far. The more detailed and specific the prompts, the better the outcome.
Jumping on the bandwagon, I gave Bylo.ai a try, complete with my current headshot. The site helpfully provided a comprehensive prompt for an easier process. I added some customizations, such as fitting accessories for the action figure's blister pack, and voilà!
Let me tell you, this AI-created action figure leaves a lot to be desired. I'm an average height male in real life, but my action figure is noticeably shorter and somewhat stockier. My suggested "reporter's notebook" was mysteriously altered to a "notebock" in each version. I won't even get started on the likeness itself—think hobbit in a blazer, but that's just me.
Switching to ChatGPT, I used a different headshot from the 2025 NAB Show and applied refinements based on internet tips. Despite specifying "average height and build," my virtual counterpart ended up being compact. Each version saw variations in microphone and laptop designs, while the packaging boasted an endcap-display-worthy appearance. However, the final product still leaned towards a pictorial representation of an action figure rather than the actual thing.
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While I'm not about to rain on this parade, there are always concerns surrounding privacy and potential AI copyright infringements. Still, the exercise was undeniably fun, though frustrating at times. Hopefully, I'll be taller for the next big social media trend!
Insights:
- The USC Speak Your MIND Ice Bucket Challenge: Initiated by the University of South Carolina's MIND Club, the challenge aims to raise awareness about mental health among youth and young adults and collect donations for Active Minds, a nonprofit focused on mental health advocacy.
- Participation: Individuals record a video of themselves pouring a bucket of ice water over their heads, post it on social media using the hashtag #SpeakYourMind, and nominate others to join the challenge. The campaign has drawn attention from celebrities and has raised over $400,000 in donations.
- ChatGPT Action Figures: AI-generated action figures created using ChatGPT can result in varying outputs based on the detailedness of the provided prompts. Frustrations arise when attempting to create the desired figure due to limited AI capabilities.
Face-to-face with James Towsend, Director of New Media for the Leadership Foundation
How the Keto Diet Helps You Lose Weight
The USC Speak Your MIND Ice Bucket Challenge, a revamped version of the original, promotes mental health awareness while raising funds for Active Minds. It's not just about lifestyle changes, but also features technological advancements, such as artificial intelligence, in creating a greater impact. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT showcase their capabilities in generating action figures, offering unique home-and-garden decorations that display elements of technology within our living spaces.
