‘When you see a girl, but you don’t know how to use it’
During these strange and uncertain times, one thing’s for sure: memes are the only good thing left. And now, because there’s absolutely nothing to make memes about – other than coronavirus, which is not a good meme topic, and, of course, Chanel the African Grey – we’re having to rely on artificial intelligence for our daily dose of humour.
Enter: AI Memes. Created by image website, Imgflip, the memes use a traditional format – distracted boyfriend, galaxy brain, the ‘change my mind’ guy – but captions are generated via a deep artificial neural network.
According to the site, “nothing about the text generation is hardcoded, except that the maximum text length is limited for sanity”. Users can specify text to influence the caption generated, e.g. someone’s name. Imgflip adds that “no profanity filtering was done on the training data so you may encounter vulgarity”. Gimme!
For your enjoyment, here’s a round up of some of the most cursed AI-generated memes, often with a quarantine twist. Make your own here.
WHEN YOU’RE MISSING THE BOYS
It’s been six weeks since you had a cold one with the lads and you’re starting to feel… urges. Luckily for you, AI has a meme for that. Except not really, because if you ‘feel the boys’, you’re only half as intelligent as your Discord server, apparently. Maybe try feeling the boys via Discord instead – a socially responsible alternative that will give you a big brain, fellas.
A MEME FOR YOUR DREAMS
This one was clearly generated by AI because nobody is getting any kind of promotion RN.
TRYING TO FLIRT POST-LOCKDOWN
It’s September, and we’re finally out of quarantine and allowed to go to the pub (am I being optimistic here?), but you haven’t had sex since March and you’re not sure you actually remember how it works. You’re three pints deep and, as artificial intelligence predicted all those months ago, you “see a girl, but you don’t know how to use it”. Alternative theory: it’s today, and you’re browsing Pornhub on your working-from-home lunch break; you see a video you like, but because you’ve been furiously wanking for the last month, you can’t get it up. Both equally realistic, both equally depressing.
WHEN YOU’VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR PARENTS
You moved back home to quarantine with your parents (why?), but now you’re regretting it. You want to get fucked up on a Friday, then eat potato waffles and chicken nuggets for breakfast, but your mum won’t let you. She forces you out of bed every morning at 8am, cooks you delicious, healthy meals, and is generally improving your wellbeing – but that’s not what you want. Clearly, you need to kill her. Shitty way to death? Nah, shoot the boomer.
WHEN YOU FIND OUT YOU’RE ADOPTED?
Niche, this one. But still good.
WHEN THE PUBS FINALLY OPEN
You’re not usually a beer drinker, but the pubs have just opened and you think, ‘fuck it, I’ll have a delicious draught beer’. Except, it’s a big day, isn’t it? The pubs have just opened, haven’t they? Two beers! Also you’re slapping yourself.
WHEN YOUR HOUSEMATE GOES TO THE TOILET MID FILM
Lizzie McGuire’s doppelganger just turned down Paolo’s mic and asked him to sing to her, and now is the time she has to go to the toilet?! Take a deep breath and repeat after me: ‘The person in the bathroom is a bitch and not a problem’.
WHEN YOU’RE DADDY’S SPECIAL GIRL (SORRY)
This one’s weird.
IT’S 2022 AND WE’RE STILL IN LOCKDOWN
You haven’t seen anyone except your housemates in two years, and you finally crack. You begin to argue over how to keep yourself busy. They ask: “Have you tried to do a meme?” “No,” you reply, before revealing that you’re now a furry.
