AI turns Friends characters into adorable toddlers; check out the images!

Possibly one of the most widely loved American television sitcoms that found a fanbase around the world in all age groups, Friends is easily a cult series. Now, an Italian artist couple - Luca and Anna Allievi - have used artificial intelligence (AI) to transform the beloved characters from the series - Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer - into adorable toddlers and the internet can’t keep calm!

Of late, AI-generated images of popular celebs and movie characters have been making the rounds on social media, and netizens seem to be in complete awe of them. These sharp, edgy and unbelievably accurate reimagined avatars have caught the fancy of the young and old alike. And the latest baby-like pictures Rachel, Ross, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe are once again reminding us the power of imagination, mixed with science. 

Both aged 33, Luca and Anna from Milan apparently started creating these images of the characters of the popular sitcom ‘for fun’, when their one-year-old daughter Celeste was asleep. 

“It started as a game, something we did for fun. The images are really realistic,” Luca, a biotechnologist, told a publication. At the beginning, he tried to create puppies and his own cats as characters from Harry Potter and other dramas, but eventually things turned out differently. 

According to Anna - who sells machinery parts - Luca has a “fantastic imagination” gushed Anna. The couple define it as “something futuristic, which is evolving so fast”. So much so that the couple felt encouraged to create realistic baby photos of former US President Donald Trump, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, among others. 

The artist couple consider fan requests to create baby Disney villains, Harry Potter characters and singers using AI. However, they also acknowledge the dangers of such artwork. “Sometimes it’s scary and too specific,” Anna said, adding to which Luca noted “It can be dangerous. Some people use it for fake news.”

Originally aired on NBC from September 1994 to May 2004, the series ran for 10 seasons. You can watch the episodes of Friends on Netflix now. Meanwhile, Friends: The Reunion, a comedy-documentary piece was released in 2021. It's currently streaming on ZEE5. 

Also read: Friends: The Reunion review - A much awaited nostalgic ride of a lifetime

Watch Friends on OTTplay Premium | Subscribe now