Throughout the 2020s, internet privacy has enabled netizens to employ humor through numerous tactics. These moments become magnified under political socialization, as polarizing sides of the political spectrum employ guerrilla tactics to criticize those they dislike. On X, meme accounts employ artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline these approaches and further spread their agendas.
Following political influencer Charlie Kirk’s murder, online users came to blows over the ethical dilemmas of criticizing Charlie Kirk. With numerous firings and terminations occurring over individual views on the event, the topic became a hot-button issue that people now take seriously. TikTok and X members recently began a movement of using AI deepfakes to overlay Kirk’s face on pop culture images, placing a second spin on images deemed funny for the sake of garnering laughs.
The newfound online Kirkification movement appeared essentially out of the blue. A potential origin stems from right-wing X users posting AI videos of Charlie Kirk post-mortem as a sign of respect. These videos came off as a simple gesture of good faith, but online individuals used the idea of AI Kirk renditions to help begin a tidal wave of Kirkified pictures. The top images that his face overlays include figures such as IShowSpeed, Anthony Mackie and Shaquille O’Neal.
“It makes no sense how the whole trend started, but people keep adding Kirk’s face to more and more ridiculous images. At some point, they are just gonna put his face on people you might know, but we have not gotten to that point yet. People on TikTok find anything funny; all it takes is one person to start it, and the meme will spread everywhere,” magnet senior Bryce Nichols said.
As a grand issue, the movement raises questions about meme culture as a whole. The meming community’s popularity stems from finding niche topics to laugh at. In that sense, they typically push the envelope of humor, considered comedic in terms of shock value. The internet does not lack any inexperience with memes that take sensitive situations lightly, but Kirkification sparks the thought of what people can or cannot meme, as it has reached the attention of both right-wing netizens and the mainstream media.
Kirkification garners differing viewpoints across the web due to its overlay of Kirk in memes post-mortem. Right-wing accounts argue the images disrespect his name and could serve as a reason to label left-wingers as inconsiderate. On the other end of the spectrum, left-wingers assert that these events occur on all sides of the political climate, citing jokes following George Floyd’s death in 2020.
To add further fuel to the fire, AI-generated audios come to the spotlight as a means of creating innovative memes or media. Right-wing music artist Spalexma used an AI website to release a song titled “We Are Charlie Kirk,” intended to honor and remember Kirk’s name. Social media accounts took the song unseriously, spreading it around the net and laughing at its vocals.
“AI definitely changed the way people make memes on the internet. The ‘We Are Charlie Kirk’ song had me rolling the last time I heard it, and I could not believe that a robot managed to churn out something like it. This was made just to remember Kirk, but now it only reminds people how easy it is to become famous on the internet,” senior Will Gichaara said.
Kirkificiation highlights a wider topic spanning over the past few years: AI deepfakes. No matter the person or level of fame, with AI’s consistent advancements in authenticity, deepfakes arise as an evident issue for any figure onscreen. Following obscene deepfakes generated by critics of singer Taylor Swift, the U.S. Congress approached a crucial decision in the fate of AI imagery. Even without legislation passed, AI corporations face scrutiny and pressure to prevent disinformation via their websites.
CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman prides himself and his company on the development of the video site Sora. The shocking realism and lack of any first-glance noticeable flaws spark concern from individuals nationwide. As AI imagery and video sites continue advancing and lose their indicators, the issue of AI imagery will soon become a concern for the entire nation.
