Many Indians are using technology to create joy, memory and connection
Pallavi Jha (left) delighted her househelp Puja Aware (right) with AI-generated pictures of her ‘on holiday’. Pic/Atul Kamble
In a heartwarming reel that quickly went viral, Puja Didi, a domestic worker from Mumbai, can be seen “vacationing” in Dubai, dressed in breezy Western outfits, posing against skyscrapers and beaches. The images weren’t from a sudden trip abroad but from an AI experiment by her employer, marketer and content creator Pallavi Jha. What could have been just another trendy edit struck a deeper chord online when viewers saw not only humour, but also aspiration, intimacy, and joy. In a world where artificial intelligence is often cast as a cold machine or job-stealer, young Indians are increasingly using it to tell stories of love, memory, and belonging.
For most, AI is framed through the lens of productivity — a powerful tool that automates tasks, drafts reports, or threatens to replace jobs. But many are using it to carve joyful memories. Instead of spreadsheets and workflow hacks, they are experimenting with playful, personal creations with trends such as travel makeovers, meme edits, even imagined reunions with loved ones. As AI educator Ansh Mehra observes, “AI feels almost like a person, not a chatbot.” People are hooked because AI always agrees with you. It is programmed to have a bias for the prompter.” That comfort creates space for creativity, intimacy, and emotional storytelling.
Puja didi’s AI pictures of her in Dubai. Pic/Instagram@thatbonitagirl
When the Gemini trend of AI-generated glamour edits swept Instagram, Jha, known online as @thatbonitagirl, could have easily joined in. But instead of turning the camera on herself, she decided to make images for someone who had never imagined such possibilities: her househelp, Puja Datta Aware, whom she endearingly calls Puja Didi. “It is a lifetime memory for her,” Jha says. “For me, it might just be fun. For her, it was something she couldn’t access in real life.”
Aware was left astonished by the images of herself strolling through Dubai in chic Western outfits. “I could never fathom me wearing such clothes in these places,” she laughs, recalling how she proudly set one as her WhatsApp status. But not everyone shared her excitement as her mother scolded her for the outfits, and her husband forbade her from repeating it. Still, for a brief moment, Aware glimpsed a different version of herself and her delight, captured in the reel, spread contagiously to thousands online.
For 29-year-old Nikita Vilas Rakshe, AI first entered her life not as a productivity hack but as a quiet companion. While caring for her ailing grandmother, she began chatting with AI tools like ChatGPT in moments of stress, using them almost like a therapist. “It would always say reaffirming things,” she recalls. Over time, AI became not just a coping mechanism but also a memory-keeper. Recently, she used Gemini to painstakingly recreate an image of herself with her father, who had passed away 15 years ago. “It gave me a sense of happiness. This would have been the future if dad was there,” she says. When she showed the photo to her mother, the reaction was deeply emotional. For Rakshe, AI was less about technology and more about healing, nostalgia, and the comfort of reimagining bonds that time had taken away.
Nikita Rakshe’s AI picture with her father, Vilas Rakshe, who had passed away 15 years ago
Mehra believes this turn toward intimacy and playfulness is precisely what makes the technology less intimidating. “The same AI tool can trigger opposite emotions. When it agrees with you, you feel a sense of dopamine. But when it starts doing your job better than you, many feel a sense of threat and anxiety. That’s why most people prefer using AI as a friendly therapist or a source of dopamine,” he explains. But he cautions that this easy comfort carries risks. As dependence grows, “ for intellectual obesity because using AI without original thinking will make them lazy thinkers,” he warns, urging users to balance digital creativity with real-world habits of reading, writing, and reflection.
Together, these stories illustrate how Gen Z in India is reshaping AI from a tool of productivity into one of empathy and connection. Jha’s images gave Puja Didi visibility and joy, while Nikita’s recreated memories offered comfort and healing. “For Puja didi, she’s not even allowed to think of liberating thoughts or a different way of life other than working within her socially set boundaries, so little things like these, give her temporary wings,” Jha articulates. Looking ahead, this playful, intimate use of technology could evolve into digital family archives, memory rituals, or new ways to celebrate relationships, blending innovation with emotion in uniquely human ways.
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