If you've been scrolling through TikTok, Instagram Reels or X lately, there's a good chance you've seen the same strange scene over and over again.
Two people stand against a bright orange background with a single microphone hanging between them. And while they rap, gesture and move in almost exactly the same way, it's easy to know the video was AI generated. Sometimes they are friends, sometimes they are celebrities or fictional characters.
It's a new trend called the "Hotel Lobby," but despite the name, there's no hotel lobby involved.
The videos are AI-generated recreations of Quavo and Takeoff's performance of "HOTEL LOBBY (Unc & Phew)" on A COLORS SHOW. The original performance features the two rappers against COLORS' signature minimalist backdrop, sharing a microphone as they perform the track.
Now AI can essentially swap almost anyone into their places.
What is the Hotel Lobby AI trend?
I tried making one myself and it's very easy. You can try it yourself by uploading yourself, your best friend or even your pet and using the prompt:
Create a photorealistic music-performance video featuring the two people from the reference images standing side by side in a minimalist studio with a vivid burnt-orange background. A single vintage-style microphone hangs down from the ceiling between them. They perform confidently toward the camera with subtle rhythmic body movement, hand gestures and natural facial expressions. Preserve both subjects’ facial features, hair, skin tone and overall appearance accurately throughout the video. Cinematic studio lighting, realistic skin texture, natural motion, fixed front-facing camera, medium-wide framing, high realism, no text, no logos, no extra people, no distorted hands or faces.
But what I found interesting about this trend is just how convincing the result could be and with such little effort. That's also where this seemingly harmless AI meme starts getting more complicated.
Generative AI isn't simply pasting a face over somebody else's body anymore. Now, these tools can reproduce identity, movement, environments and recognizable pieces of existing media in a few clicks.
And that's where the Hotel Lobby trend gets uncomfortable.
Why is the Hotel Lobby AI trend raising concerns?
There's an important piece of context that's easy to miss if you've only encountered one of these videos while scrolling. Takeoff died in November 2022 at the age of 28.
That means a viral AI trend built around his performance is repeatedly reproducing the likeness and movements of someone who is no longer here to decide how that image should be used.
Some fans have criticized that aspect of the trend, while the videos have also once again, prompted broader questions about consent, copyright and the use of people's photographs by AI platforms.
But Quavo's own response adds an important wrinkle. The rapper has embraced seeing "Hotel Lobby" become popular again, recently describing the resurgence as bittersweet and connecting it with Takeoff's continuing presence and legacy. At the same time, he has acknowledged the emotion that comes with seeing AI-manipulated images involving his late nephew.
That doesn't settle the broader question of whether recreating someone who has died with AI is acceptable. It does show why this isn't as simple as declaring the trend disrespectful.
AI is making it possible to preserve, remix and recontextualize someone's image long after they're gone. The people closest to them may see that as a tribute. Others may see it as an uncomfortable use of a person who can no longer consent.
The takeaway
Of course, the concerns go beyond one viral AI meme. With the speed of AI technology, I have no doubt that a new AI meme will arrive any day now. Because, this isn't the first time AI has raised questions about someone's likeness, and it certainly won't be the last.
What makes this particular trend interesting is how ordinary the technology already feels and how far AI video has come in just a year. You don't need professional visual-effects software or hours of editing experience. Depending on the tool, making one can be little more than choosing two photos and waiting for an AI model to generate the video.
That's fun when you're putting yourself and a friend into a viral meme, but much more complicated when the template itself is based on a real performance and one of the people being digitally recreated has died.
There's another consideration if you're thinking about making one yourself: the photos you upload. Hugging Face's guide to the trend specifically recommends using images you have the right to use and checking the policies of whatever platform or AI service you're using. Music rights and rules around AI-generated likenesses can also come into play. And that advice is helpful beyond this particular meme.
The Hotel Lobby trend may disappear from our feeds as quickly as it arrived. The questions behind it aren't going anywhere.
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