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8 AI Video Trends Taking Over TikTok and Instagram (October 2026)

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PoloX AI

Information current as of October 9, 2026 (U.S. Eastern Time). Platform numbers (likes, views) are what the public pages showed when we checked them on October 9, and they will keep changing.

One selfie, and suddenly you're inside someone else's iconic scene. That's the formula behind almost every AI video trend on TikTok and Instagram this October. Below are the 8 AI video trends of October 2026 worth knowing: what each one looks like, where it came from, how it blew up and how big it really is, with the original posts embedded so you can see them for yourself.

  1. Rumpelstiltskin AI ("tip toeing in my jordans"): a little man in an '80s-fantasy-movie look tiptoes and dances, then gets swapped for every character imaginable. Source material and music: an original AI clip + Riff Raff's "Tip Toe Wing In My Jawwdinz". Started: an AI clip on Instagram on August 27, turned into a meme with the song in late September.
  2. Burning Bridges AI: one selfie puts you in the crystal-chandelier party from Drake's music video. Source: Drake's "Burning Bridges" music video. Started: late September.
  3. Zombie AI trend: your loved one turns into a zombie, you raise the gun but can't do it, and it cuts back to happy memories. Source: the AI short film "CHOICE". Started: Instagram, September 15.
  4. Raindance AI: two people sing a duet on a seaside pier. Music: Dave & Tems, "Raindance". Started: late September.
  5. Gas Station AI ("gas station dance"): three shots at a gas station: dancing, a selfie, someone climbing out of the car. Source: a 2024 road-trip video from a Russian blogger. Started: September.
  6. Alors on danse AI: in a white studio, one person plays the keyboard while the other hypes it up. Source: a 2010 sketch by Stromae × Jamel. Started: late September to early October.
  7. Car Jump AI video: you sit calmly in a folding chair while an SUV flies over your head. Source: an original AI template. Started: late September, in India's short-video scene.
  8. AI Arrest Filter: "not bro, getting arrested again": smiling while two police officers lead you away. Source: CapCut templates. Started: late September to early October.

Plus one seasonal trend we're keeping an eye on: AI Halloween / Ghostface photos (see the bonus section at the end).

Why Is Every Feed Full of AI Video Templates in October 2026?

Put these 8 trends side by side and the playbook is almost identical: take a clip everyone already knows (a music video, an old comedy sketch, an AI short that "looks like an old movie"), swap the lead for you, your friends or your cat, then post it with the original song.

Three shifts are happening at the same time:

  1. "One or two photos → a finished video" now works right on your phone. Creators say so plainly in their own posts: the creator of "CHOICE" tagged #higgsfield and later made a tutorial; the parrot version of Alors on danse is tagged #higgsfield; and plenty of Raindance and Arrest tutorials use CapCut templates. The tools themselves aren't the point of this article. The point is: making a meme video has gone from "you need editing skills" to "you need one clear, front-facing photo."
  2. Two-person templates are the new mainstream. Zombie, Raindance and Alors on danse all take two photos, which makes them a natural fit for couples, best friends and pet duos. Posting one is basically tagging the other person.
  3. October is costume season. In the run-up to Halloween, zombies, horror and Y2K nostalgia already draw traffic, and AI templates are catching exactly that demand.

Let's break them down one by one.

1. Rumpelstiltskin AI Trend: The Tiptoeing Little Man ("Tip Toeing in My Jordans")

What it looks like

A clip that looks like it came from a 1980s fantasy movie: in a dim barn, a little man who looks like Rumpelstiltskin tiptoes toward a woman sitting in a pile of straw and dances in front of her. Then he turns the straw into gold coins, she kisses him, and he becomes a prince.[1][2] As a meme, the audio was swapped for rapper Riff Raff's "Tip Toe Wing In My Jawwdinz", which is why it's also known as "tip toeing in my jordans".[3]

▶ Video: The original AI clip (August 27, 2026)

@stroinaya — The original AI clip (August 27, 2026)

Source: Instagram · @stroinaya · https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcjC4hHCb0C/

▶ Video: The first viral meme version, set to Riff Raff's song (September 29, 2026)

@6aimbot9 — The first viral meme version, set to Riff Raff's song (September 29, 2026)

Source: TikTok · @6aimbot9 · https://www.tiktok.com/@6aimbot9/video/7691071464849607966

How it blew up

  • August 27: The original clip was posted on Instagram by the account stroinaya (creator Tatyana Tereshchenko, who describes herself as an AI artist/filmmaker), with a caption promoting her AI creation course.[2][3] According to Know Your Meme, the original was co-posted by three Instagram pages, Stroinaya, Neuroferma and Anna Glinskaya, and picked up roughly 840 shares in a month. Lukewarm at best.[3]
  • September 29: TikTok user @6aimbot9 set the clip to Riff Raff's song with the caption "The type of dreams I be having after taking dollar store melatonin." Know Your Meme recorded more than 850,000 views within a week; NBC News puts it at more than 900,000 in under a week.[1][3]
  • From October 1: A version posted by X user @itsjusttimbro got roughly 9.8 million views in 5 days, according to Know Your Meme. After that came all kinds of relatable captions: sneaking downstairs for snacks at 2 a.m., walking the line at a DUI checkpoint, and so on.[1][3]
  • A few days later: People gradually realized the clip was actually AI-generated. Before that, many had been hunting for "what movie is this?": some thought it came from the 1987 musical "Rumpelstiltskin", others guessed an old Russian film.[1][2][3] Once it was known to be AI, the meme actually entered its second phase: swapping the little man for other characters. NBC News lists versions featuring Sam and Dean from "Supernatural", Wednesday Addams and Ronald McDonald, and some people even keyed the character out as a green-screen asset for remixes.[1][2]

How big it is

  • NBC News reported on October 7 that a TikTok account dedicated to reposting variations grew to 65,000 followers in a few days.[1]
  • LADbible (October 6), NBC News (October 7) and Know Your Meme (entry created October 6, status: Confirmed) all followed up. Among the sources we found, it's the only one of these 8 trends that got dedicated coverage from a mainstream English-language outlet like NBC News.[1][2][3]
  • Search: our daily keyword tracking shows US and UK searches for "rumpelstiltskin meme", "tip toeing in my jordans" and similar terms shooting up around October 1 and still hitting new highs on October 8.

2. Burning Bridges AI Trend: One Selfie Into Drake's Chandelier Party

What it looks like

The footage comes from the second half of Drake's "Burning Bridges" music video: warm light, crystal chandeliers, a packed private dining room and a handheld camera right in your face. The AI version swaps Drake for you (or your dog, or a cartoon character): raising a glass, pointing at the camera, tugging at the collar, then, on the line "Where she at?", holding a hand flat over the brow and scanning left and right.[6][7] That "Where she at?" searching gesture is the punchline in itself, and it's often paired with captions like "the friend who said 'just one drink' and then disappeared" or "the group-project teammate who never shows up".[7]

▶ Video: The official music video (May 15, 2026)

Source: YouTube · @DrakeVEVO · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpD-JVy2zV4

▶ Video: AI remix: side-by-side with the cast of "The Sopranos" (October 8, 2026)

@FrankMagana15 — AI remix: side-by-side with the cast of "The Sopranos" (October 8, 2026)

Source: X · @FrankMagana15 · https://x.com/FrankMagana15/status/2108023002067783856

How it blew up

  • The song and video: "Burning Bridges" is on Drake's 2026 album "Iceman", released May 15, 2026; Wikipedia describes it as a diss track aimed at A$AP Rocky.[5] The official music video went up on DrakeVEVO the same day (about 25.5 million views on YouTube as of October 9).
  • The AI version: From late September into early October, batches of "[someone] does Burning Bridges" videos started appearing on X and TikTok. For example, X user @FrankMagana15 has been posting versions since October 1, featuring President Lincoln, NBA players, Taylor Swift, and the casts of "The Hangover" and "Twilight". His October 8 side-by-side with "The Sopranos" had about 447,000 views and over 10,000 likes when we checked, according to X's public numbers.
  • Several tool blogs published how-to guides in a cluster on October 7–8, an indirect sign that demand exploded in those days.[6][7][27]

How big it is

  • Search: in the US, "burning bridges ai" started showing up around September 28, then climbed almost exponentially for ten days, hitting a new high on October 9. "drake ai video" and "burning bridges video" rose alongside it, and the UK started showing up in the last two days.
  • A note of caution: this trend leans heavily on the faces of celebrities, athletes and film/TV characters, so the copyright and likeness risks are more obvious than with the other trends.

3. Zombie AI Trend: The One You Can't Pull the Trigger On

What it looks like

A two-person short: in a gray, post-apocalyptic room, one person has already turned into a zombie, with ashen skin and cloudy white eyes. The other raises a gun, hands shaking, crying, but can't pull the trigger. They lower the gun and open their arms, and the moment the zombie lunges, the video cuts back to a sunlit memory of the two of them.[8][9] The leads can be couples or parents and kids, and pet versions (where the dog becomes the zombie) are popular too.[8][9] No shots are fired, there's no gore or biting, and the emotional payoff is love, not fear.

▶ Video: The original short film "CHOICE" (September 15, 2026)

The original short film "CHOICE" (September 15, 2026): thumbnail of the Instagram post by @techmaf (click to watch on Instagram)

Source: Instagram · @techmaf · https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdT4j1oKtw2/

▶ Video: The repost that went viral in the English-speaking world (September 26, 2026)

@damienstraker — The repost that went viral in the English-speaking world (September 26, 2026)

Source: Instagram · @damienstraker · https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdwwIyExefk/

How it blew up

For this one, the origin can be traced through the posts' own captions:

  • Mid-August (according to Seadanse's timeline): Instagram creator @asrith_prakash posted the AI short "Wherever You Go" (August 14), with a caption saying every frame was AI-generated; it had about 685,000 likes when we checked. On August 19, @heygentlewhale posted a dog version of the zombie story, crediting @asrith_prakash as the inspiration in the caption.[8]
  • September 15: Creator Aytech Ashkhamakhov (@techmaf) posted the short film "CHOICE" on Instagram. This is the "raise the gun, can't do it, cut to memories" version everyone is recreating now; it had about 250,000 likes and 5,400+ comments when we checked.
  • September 26: A repost by @damienstraker blew up in the English-speaking world (about 470,000 likes when we checked), with the caption reading "Original idea: @techmaf".
  • September 27: @techmaf posted a tutorial and wrote: "thanks to your engagement, it's become a trend!"
  • Late September to early October: Tutorials and templates poured in, followed by YouTube tutorials in Indonesian and other languages.[8][9]

How big it is

  • According to Google Trends observations cited by the tool site ZOOOP, global searches for "ai zombie trend" were close to zero before September 27, then rose day by day and peaked on October 4 (this is a third-party blog's claim that we haven't independently verified).[29]
  • Add Halloween season on top, and these "tender zombie" videos have been a common sight on Reels and TikTok in early October.

Want to try it yourself? Follow this step-by-step tutorial: How to Make a Zombie AI Video Love Story from Two Photos, or upload two photos straight into Zombie AI Video Trend to generate one.

4. Raindance AI Trend: A Duet on the Seaside Pier

What it looks like

The soundtrack is "Raindance" by British rapper Dave and Nigerian singer Tems. The AI version usually looks like this: a sunlit wooden pier stretching out into the sea, one person sitting at the end waiting, the other singing to the camera, and finally the two of them sitting side by side on the beach watching the sunset. There's also a solo version: an ordinary photo hard-cuts to "you, singing soulfully to the camera on a pier in golden sunset light".[11][13] Couples, best friends, parents, pets and even Shrek have all been dropped in.

▶ Video: The official music video (January 9, 2026)

Source: YouTube · @SantanDave · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOJpE1KMUbo

▶ Video: AI remix: the Shrek version (September 27, 2026)

@tyleeeee15 — AI remix: the Shrek version (September 27, 2026)

Source: TikTok · @tyleeeee15 · https://www.tiktok.com/@tyleeeee15/video/7690216859613826325

How it blew up

  • The song: "Raindance" was released on October 23, 2025, on Dave's third album, "The Boy Who Played the Harp". It went viral from late 2025 into early 2026 and hit No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in late January 2026.[10]
  • The music video: Released January 9, 2026, directed by Nathan James Tettey and shot in Lagos, Nigeria, with shots of the two singing to each other on a beach and other locations.[10] As of October 9, YouTube showed about 279 million views.
  • The AI version: AI remixes were already showing up on TikTok around September 27 (like the Shrek version below). From September 29, several AI video platforms posted their own Raindance versions on X, and in early October, according to fan accounts on X, streamer Lacy was cracking under the endless AI edits turning him and Marlon into "Tems and Dave".
  • One tutorial site says TikTok user @zoebaptistee started a non-AI editing challenge (synced to the part where Tems sings "I love you") as early as December 14, 2025.[12] We weren't able to independently verify this.

How big it is

  • Kavel's blog says a CapCut template named "raindance (tems)" showed 704,000 uses on October 1 (third-party data).[11]
  • Search: in the US, "raindance ai" started appearing on September 27 and rose steadily, hitting a new high on October 7. Australia climbed from September 29, while the UK peaked on October 2 and then declined.

5. Gas Station AI Trend: The 4 a.m. Gas Station Dance in Three Shots

What it looks like

A vertical video of about 15–20 seconds, in three shots: one friend dancing goofily at an empty gas station or roadside lot; a whip pan into a laughing selfie with the phone; then, as the beat drops, a third person climbs out of the car and joins in.[14][16] The AI version simply swaps those three people for you and your friends, or you can play all three roles yourself.

▶ Video: The original video (July 1, 2024)

@adelveigel — The original video (July 1, 2024)

Source: Instagram · @adelveigel · https://www.instagram.com/reel/C84SE84t6rv/

▶ Video: AI version example + how-to Short (September 29, 2026)

Source: YouTube · @hemangmakwanaa · https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pNDu-pVW4vM

How it blew up

  • The original video: Posted on Instagram on July 1, 2024 by model Adel Veigel (@adelveigel), starring Russian video blogger Mikhail Litvin, his friend Ravshan and Adel herself. Someone in the background shouts "Делай!" ("Do it!"), so on the Russian-speaking internet it's also known as the "Делай" meme.[14][15] The Reel showed about 1.6 million likes when we checked. Russian-language media say the music is Akcent's "On And On" (also known as "Stay With Me").[14]
  • Second wave: Russian-language outlets such as Halva Media and Habr say this two-year-old video "went viral a second time" in September 2026 thanks to AI templates, with people swapping the trio for Sultan Suleiman and Hürrem from the Turkish series "Magnificent Century" (Muhteşem Yüzyıl), characters from "The Vampire Diaries" and "Twilight", politicians and cats.[14][15]
  • It then spread in the English-speaking world to TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts under the names "gas station dance" and "gas station trend"; apt video ai also included it in its October 7 roundup of October AI video trends.[27][28]

How big it is

  • Search: in the US, "gas station ai" suddenly appeared on September 23 and has stayed on a plateau since, a "steady but no explosion" kind of trend.
  • Keep in mind that the term "gas station ai" is ambiguous on its own (there's also a meme account called Hard AI Gas Station Images, news about AI and gas prices, and so on), so it's best to add "dance" when you search.

6. Alors On Danse AI Trend: The "I Made This Song" Sketch in a White Studio

What it looks like

An empty white studio with a small table, a laptop and a mini keyboard. The person on the left earnestly taps out the melody of "Alors on danse" while the person on the right hypes it up, nodding, pointing at the screen and shoving their face into the camera, until the two of them run off dancing together.[18][19] The AI version swaps the pair for any combo you like: athletes, movie characters, parrots, Tom and Jerry, two Chihuahuas in suits…[18]

▶ Video: The original sketch from "Made in Jamel" (2010), uploaded by the Jamel TV channel

Source: YouTube · @JamelDTV · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-wdfQyUSb0

▶ Video: AI remix: the parrot version (October 3, 2026)

@kennyslowbird — AI remix: the parrot version (October 3, 2026)

Source: TikTok · @kennyslowbird · https://www.tiktok.com/@kennyslowbird/video/7692527106185596168

How it blew up

  • The song: "Alors on danse" is the breakout hit of Belgian singer Stromae. It was released in Belgium in September 2009, rolled out across Europe in February 2010 and hit No. 1 in France, Germany, Italy and other countries.[17]
  • The original clip: It isn't actually "behind the scenes of making the song". It's a staged sketch from French comedian Jamel Debbouze's show/DVD "Made in Jamel" (2010), in which Jamel bursts in pretending he "invented" the song.[19] Jamel's official YouTube channel, Jamel TV, uploaded the clip under the title "ALORS ON DANSE, LE TUBE - Made in Jamel (2010)" (about 1.08 million views as of October 9).
  • The AI version: In early October, a wave of two-person AI versions appeared, such as @kennyslowbird's parrot version on TikTok (October 3), plus @aliaboutine's Tom and Jerry version (October 5) and @pekosandesu's two-Chihuahua version (October 4) on Instagram.[18] Kavel's blog says most of the posts are tagged as using a Higgsfield template (a third-party claim).[18]

How big it is

  • Kavel says that on October 8 it counted "about 130 new related posts across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and X in the past 72 hours" (third-party tracking data).[18]
  • Search: US searches for the parent term "alors on danse" have clearly trended up over the past two weeks, but the exact term "alors on danse ai" is still at a very early stage.

What it looks like

A dirt hill or desert at dusk. You sit in a folding camp chair wearing sunglasses, legs crossed, and snap your fingers. Behind you, an SUV charges up a mound, launches into the air, flies right over your head and lands in a huge cloud of dust, and you couldn't care less.[20][21] The joke is all in the contrast: the AI handles the danger, and your only job is to stay cool.

▶ Video: Tutorial Short from an Indian creator (September 28, 2026)

Source: YouTube · @Rajaneditz · https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8UBikoRg540

▶ Video: Tutorial from an Indian creator (September 27, 2026)

Source: YouTube · @Viralindia7 · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhiSsxb8v5o

How it blew up

  • According to the AI video tool site ZOOOP (October 6), the trend started in India's short-video scene, with a dozen or so tutorials titled something like "Trending Car Jump AI Video" popping up within a week.[20] The YouTube tutorials we found back this up: from September 27–28, a flood of Hindi and Tamil "how to make the Car Jump AI video" tutorials went live, often with "Instagram Viral" in the title.
  • Indian outlet The Sunday Guardian also published a dedicated how-to on October 6, calling it a format going viral on Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.[21]
  • One X user called it "the AI version of the G-Wagon car jump trend", implying there was an earlier real-life version. We couldn't verify this.

How big it is

  • Most of the buzz is in India; there's barely any data yet on the US Google search side.
  • The two tutorials below were published on September 27 and 28 and had about 27,000 and 67,000 views when we checked. Not huge, but they show how it spread: it took off on Reels first, then tutorial channels pushed it out in bulk.

8. AI Arrest Filter: "Not Bro, Getting Arrested Again"

What it looks like

An ordinary everyday photo hard-cuts to the same person being marched toward the camera by two police officers, one on each side, hands cuffed behind their back, red and blue lights flashing, while the person looks totally unbothered, even raising an eyebrow or grinning at the camera. The caption is usually "not bro, getting arrested again". The joke is that the person getting "arrested" is usually the least likely suspect: grandparents, a coworker in a work uniform, even a golden retriever.[22][23] Variations include a street arrest, calmly walking to the police car, a mugshot version with camera flashes, and a group version where only one person in the photo gets taken away.[23]

▶ Video: CapCut tutorial showing the finished effect (October 2, 2026)

Source: YouTube · @shahzadgopang0077 · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie09ZaDRpA8

How it blew up

  • We couldn't find a confirmed "first" post. Available information shows that most of the finished videos on TikTok come from CapCut templates, carrying a template watermark or a fixed caption style.[22]
  • AI tool site Kavel says its trend tracker counted 59 related posts from 52 creators across TikTok, YouTube and X on October 1, 35 of them published in the previous 72 hours (third-party data).[22]
  • Between September 30 and October 2, several creators' CapCut tutorials went up on YouTube, each with roughly 5,000 to 29,000 views when we checked.

How big it is

  • This is the smallest of the 8 trends: US search volume is very low, and it spreads mostly inside TikTok through templates.
  • A reminder: this trend involves realistic "police/arrest" footage. Make sure you use photos of yourself or of people who have agreed, and avoid real police department names and badges so the video isn't mistaken for real law enforcement footage.[22]

More on TikTok (reference link, not embedded): https://www.tiktok.com/discover/ai-arrest-filter. TikTok doesn't return this page's content to logged-out visitors, so we couldn't verify what's on it.

Bonus: The Seasonal AI Halloween / Ghostface Photo Trend

This one isn't a video trend but a photo trend: upload a selfie and let AI drop you into a '90s/Y2K-style bedroom (pink satin sheets, an old corded phone, film grain, harsh flash) with Ghostface from "Scream" standing in the shadows by the door.

  • It started in 2025: Mashable reported on the "Ghostface AI trend" back on October 2, 2025, when it was mostly made with Google Gemini.[24]
  • The 2026 comeback: Prompt and tool blogs such as MakeAiPhotos (October 3) and ThePromptMaster (October 6) say this year's versions are "Y2K hard-flash horror photos" and Ghostface edits.[25][26] But we didn't find any 2026 mainstream media coverage or a confirmed standout viral post, so we're only listing it as a seasonal trend to watch, without going deeper or embedding videos.
  • Search: terms like these spike seasonally before Halloween every year, with a curve similar to last year's.
  • Also: the "ghostface live photo searches up 2,800% in a week" figure that one tool blog cites comes from an article published in June 2026. It has nothing to do with this October's buzz and shouldn't be quoted.
  1. Familiar footage, new faces. A music video, an old sketch, a "fake old movie": each supplies moves and rhythm everyone recognizes at a glance. The AI just swaps the people.
  2. The original creators often get buried. The creator of the Rumpelstiltskin clip, the creator of "CHOICE" and the people in the gas station video were all only dug up by internet sleuths after the memes blew up. When you repost or remix, remember to credit the source.
  3. Music is half the meme. Almost every tutorial reminds you that the AI video doesn't come with the original song, so you need to add the official audio from the TikTok / Reels music library. That's partly about copyright, and it's also what puts your video on the same sound page, where far more people will see it.
  4. Know where the lines are. Use photos of yourself or people who have agreed; leave minors out of it; don't make "arrest" or "gun" content look like real news; and when using celebrities or film/TV characters, follow the platform's rules on AI content and impersonation.

A meme usually lives for one to three weeks. By the time you read this, half of this list may already be "over". But the "one photo, straight into an iconic scene" format will probably cycle through plenty more source clips yet.

Sources

Social posts cited or embedded in this article (all confirmed to exist via the platforms' public metadata on October 9, 2026):

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