I knew it wouldn't be long until people started using Stable Diffusion's latest AI video generator for some suitably chaotic content, but nothing prepared me for the most recent trend. After its launch last week, internet dwellers have been inserting classic memes into the new generator, and as you can imagine, the results are suitably cursed.
While it's interesting to see 'vintage' memes brought to life, Stable Diffusion's AI videos still have that uncanny AI twinge that makes them a perfect blend of silliness and total nightmare fuel. (If you'd like to create your own AI art, take a look at our collection of the best AI art generators).
Stable Video Diffusion is capable of making 4-second AI-generated clips, which Stability AI admits on its Hugging Face page "does not achieve perfect photorealism.” This didn't deter users, who used the generator to produce animated versions of popular memes like 'distracted boyfriend' and 'overly attached girlfriend' – we're really digging into the archives for some of these.
Creepiness aside, it's interesting to see how the AI handles the images without the context of the meme. In one iteration, distracted boyfriend is caught looking at the other woman, causing him to turn away. (She mysteriously gains a stray cardigan in the process which doesn't add much to the storyline, but it's an interesting addition nonetheless). The clip is subject to the typical warping effect common in AI images, but for such a new AI tool it has surprisingly captured some 'essence' of the meme.
While Stable Video Diffusion certainly has a long way to go before we get feature-length movies, the rapid advancements of AI are astounding and it's fascinating to see this evolution take place in real-time – especially in such a silly way.
For more news from the wonderful world of AI, take a look at Meta's AI chatbots that are a total dystopian nightmare, or check out the viral Mona Lisa photo that fooled the internet (sort of).
