Dhaka, April 21 -- A new wave of anime-inspired avatars has taken over social media feeds, as millions of users transform their selfies into dreamy, cartoon-like portraits. From Lionel Messi to Donald Trump-and countless everyday users in between-this latest trend harnesses artificial intelligence to recreate faces in the whimsical style of Japan's iconic Studio Ghibli.

Driven by tools built into platforms like ChatGPT and Elon Musk's Grok 3, the phenomenon has quickly gone viral, especially among teenagers and young adults. These stylized portraits echo the enchanting aesthetic of films like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, created by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki. But behind the playful images lies a more serious concern: the misus...