Ratan Tata’s Former Manager Shantanu Naidu Roasts Viral Gemini AI Saree Trend

Shantanu Naidu, who served as the manager of the late industrialist Ratan Tata, delivered a humorous take on the viral Gemini AI saree trend. If you've been scrolling social media recently, chances are you've seen countless AI-generated images of people in elegant sarees. This trend is fueled by Nano Banana, Google DeepMind's latest image-editing tool within the Google Gemini app, which lets users transform ordinary selfies into dreamy portraits, often with flowing hair and Bollywood-style backdrops.

While many have embraced the trend, Naidu offered a witty critique that struck a chord with viewers. In a video shared on Instagram, he pointed out that most of the participants live in India, where sarees are easily available, and yet they rely on AI to create digital versions of outfits they already own.

"Tum log India me hai. America mein nahi hai. India! Land of the saree. Tumhare kapaat mein at least 15 saree hai. Itna lazy ho gaya tum... AI ko generate karne ko bola jo kapda tumhare kapaat mein..." Naidu exclaimed, using accented Hindi for comic effect. Loosely translated, he said: "You live in India, not America. India-the land of the saree. You have at least 15 sarees lying in your cupboard. How lazy are you that you need AI to generate an outfit you already have?"

'Saree Pehno, Photo Nikalo'

Naidu's lighthearted rant continued as he drew a parallel with taking a photo with a pet. "The dog is right there. Just go sit next to him and take a picture!" he joked, highlighting the absurdity of using AI for something so simple. He then urged those using AI to generate saree photos to simply wear their own sarees. "Original saree mein tum aur sundar dikhta hai. Saree pehno, photo nikalo" - roughly: "You look more beautiful in your original saree. Just wear a saree and click a photo."

He noted that using AI to generate pictures in white wedding gowns would be understandable, as most Indians don't own gowns, but the AI saree trend left him baffled.

The Instagram video included a playful disclaimer: "Mai toh masti mai bolta hai" ("I'm just joking"), yet it resonated with thousands of viewers, who flooded the comments with amusement. One wrote, "Inner me: Finally someone said it," while another added, "Bro just casually spilled the truth and sipped his tea."