It feels as though the 1980s have suddenly descended upon the Gen-Z era. Scrolling through social media, it looks like people climbed into a time machine and gone back to the ’80s? This time machine is nothing but AI, or Artificial Intelligence. With the help of AI, people are returning to their old memories. And those memories themselves are anything but artificial.

Looking back several decades can be an exploration of memories for some, and a discovery for others. After all, many of the people caught up in this AI-generated ’80s photo trend were not even born during that era.
In this trend, the fashion, looks, and nostalgia of the 1980s have all blended together to transform our Facebook timelines into a wonderful canvas. Rising above the various political, social, familial, and personal frustrations of everyday life, society has embraced a shared sense of joy, with memories serving as the common thread.

But why did people want to return to the 1980s in the first place?