AI is back again, turning some of our favorite memes into artificially generated videos, and they're really creepy.
Artificial intelligence may be destined to one day overtake humanity, but it seems we haven't yet found a way to avoid the software equivalent of human error.
To mark just eight days since the AI site Luma Dream Machine launched, a social media user shared the software's interpretations of various popular memes from the past decade — but not all of them were hits.
While there were a few passable examples, most of the AI videos had a very creepy vibe to them.
It's as if it was made by a robot.
One of the latest memes to receive the AI treatment is the “Disaster Girl” meme.
The photo, originally taken by Dave Ross in 2005, shows his daughter Zoe looking on as the house burns so local firefighters can train.
When she turned around to smile for the camera, Dave took a photo of her, which he later entered into a photography contest in 2007 and won.
This photo is probably familiar to many of you. (Dave Ross)
However, most people will be familiar with the photo, as it has been used many times over the years as a template for various memes.
The memes tended to take simple forms, and her face would sometimes be superimposed onto various disasters, such as the extinction of the dinosaurs, a nuclear explosion, or the sinking of the Titanic.
Disaster Girl became so popular that Zoe even saw the image converted into an NFT in 2021, allowing her to financially benefit from the viral craze.
In the AI's version, the image takes on a life of its own, with two firefighters walking towards the camera while Zoe sports a ponytail and a high-visibility vest.
See below:
Naturally, social media users were not thrilled to see the animated version of the meme and were quick to share their disappointment online, calling it one of the “greatest AI blunders of the modern era.”
The complaint centres on the video shifting focus from Zoe's reaction to the two firefighters, saying it is “editorially incorrect”.
“Those firefighters were scene setting in the background and now they're the focal point of the scene,” the user added.
“I wonder what 'public data' was used to realise this TV series shot of two actors walking up to the panning camera and checking their marks before starting a dialogue scene,” added another user, noting that the AI firefighter looks as if he just walked straight off a TV set. Station 19.
It seems AI can't replicate everything humans can do…yet.
