TikTok’s viral AI baby dance trend has taken an unexpected turn.
Instead of using artificial intelligence apps to animate photos of babies performing the ubiquitous choreography, creators are recreating the dance themselves, often with their real kids or their own bodies.
Now, social media platforms are flooded with videos that feature people of all ages dancing to 1998’s "Take Me Up (Gotta Get Up)" by Ralphi Rosario, as choreographed by the Baby Dance AI Video app.
Plenty of entertaining analog performances that took blood, sweat, and tears of laughter to make went viral toward the end of 2025 through January 2026.
But while many creators emulated the AI Baby dance for fun, the videos also stoked a conversation about the potential negative impacts of AI. Amid affirmative responses to the joyful videos, commenters discussed AI’s threat to job security, data privacy, and the environment.
TikToks are recreating the AI Baby Dance by hand
@iammarthadove joked that she didn’t need to purchase the Baby Dance app because she was able to convince her daughter to do the dance without any added tech.
She wrote, “Saving $1.98 by getting my daughter to do the ai dance!! 😂” The clip from Jan. 22, 2026, quickly accumulated 1.5 million views.
@prachidances showed off her moves dressed as a cyber-girlboss in an AI baby dance video from Jan. 17, 2026, that garnered 1.8 million views.
The TikTok creator wrote in onscreen text, “POV: your mom is obsessed with the AI baby videos and you need to get her attention back.” @prachidances added in the post’s caption, “Mama look what I can do 🤓👋🏽💖.”
Former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills castmate and Harry Hamlin's wife Lisa Rinna shared her version of the AI baby dance on Nov. 11, 2025.
She racked up over a million views performing the AI-generated choreography in her kitchen.
Commenters vibed with the humane twist on an AI-generated dance and spoke out on behalf of the polar bears.
“This ad has been annoying me. I'm glad we stealing it's job,” wrote Thrift Fest.
“Real will always win over AI,” wrote Zeph.
“AI systems require tons of energy to work and also a lot of water resources to cool down," wrote one user. "This causes a lot of pollution and a waste of resources leading to global warming. Then ice poles start melting and polar bears start facing high levels of water as the temperature is increasing and they suffer to find proper nutrition.”
“Algorithm so perfect I don’t even see the AI I just see the videos making fun of it,” quipped Danny.
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