AI “deletes” famous memes

Disturbing TikTok trends are nothing new. Grimace’s milkshake scared the crap out of everyone in 2023, so the idea of ​​”time travelers” messing up timelines and altering memes is roughly in the same category of existentially dread-inducing. It’s haunting to see people whose videos made us laugh now running for their lives, often with men in suits in tow. But what’s interesting is what this trend really says about generative AI as a whole, and how it could never achieve anything as influential as the Success Kid meme.

The above video essay from PyroLIVE does a great job of analyzing how AI destroys memes. Part of the reason memes and viral videos are so successful is because they are simple. Take, for example, the Disaster Girl meme, which features a young girl scowling at the camera while a house burns in the background. It can be used as a reaction image in many situations when someone might have done something bad. Now take this thread on X (formerly known as Twitter) from @AngryTomtweets, which uses AI to turn image memes into videos. The Disaster Girl image is now a video, only it moves away from her and toward some firefighters discussing something. What’s the point? The young girl looking like she started the fire is what makes the image funny, not any firefighters.

But that is precisely the problem with AI. It cannot do good; it can only more. That’s the case with AI “enhanced” Vines. Adding extra footage like the Kazoo Kid running away doesn’t add any humor or context. AI creates things, but only humans can create art, even if it’s a silly meme.