AI brings iconic meme to life — and people are horrified

In a twist, the woman in red turns to shoot the boyfriend a piercing glare — while mysteriously changing her outfit

Alexander Lewis - Nov 28, 2023

The image of a man whistling at another woman while holding hands with his girlfriend which went viral in 2017 is popularly known as the distracted boyfriend meme. — X/@_conradslee — The image of a man whistling at another woman while holding hands with his girlfriend which went viral in 2017 is popularly known as the "distracted boyfriend" meme. — X/@_conradslee

After nearly a decade since the uproarious “distracted boyfriend” meme became a digital sensation, it's now undergone an AI-powered update, revealing “what happened next” for the characters in that famous internet moment.

But hold your horses — if you're expecting some dramatic exit or a comical gesture, you might be left wanting more. These new snippets merely offer a glimpse of the seconds that follow, and they've stirred quite the debate on X.

The AI seems to still grapple with a few things, particularly hands — in one version, the girlfriend's hand and arm undergo curious changes, almost like a shape-shifting trick. And her face? Well, let's say it also seems to have a mind of its own.

In another twist, the woman in red turns to shoot the boyfriend a piercing glare — while mysteriously changing her outfit into what appears to resemble a brown jacket, resembling some sort of M&S superhero transformation.

But all jests aside, these motion memes highlight the remarkable capabilities of AI in 2023, and it's expected to only improve — or, depending on your perspective, possibly worsen.

It all kicked off when user @fofrAI initiated the trend, sharing their version of the animated meme last week. It's arguably the least eerie, with the woman in red walking away and the girlfriend's expression of disgust turning into an exaggerated grimace.

This sparked another user, @burconsult, to contribute their own clips.

The X community seemed both amused and unsettled by these memes. One user remarked, “Okay, AI needs to be stopped.” Another chimed in with, “This is very creepy.”

Users also couldn't help but notice odd facial transformations happening to the meme stars. One person hilariously commented, “love how the woman in red started to face morph into some creature at the end.” They also spotted curious appearances and disappearances of cars and people in the background.

The photo was originally taken on the streets of Girona in Catalonia, Spain, by photographer Antonio Guillem.

In the years since, Laura, the girl in the white dress, has been humorously tagged as books, bread, and capitalism, while the woman in the red dress gets the more glamorous titles like “the solar eclipse,” “avocado toast,” and “socialism”.