Where Are All The AI Extended Vines Coming From? Memes About Time Travelers Stopping Vines Explained

Videos showing alternate endings to various 2016-era Vines are flooding the internet, thanks to an AI tool that turns still images into longer videos with the help of some prompts. Dream Machine by Luma AI is an AI-generating software that went viral on X and TikTok in 2024 for promising to turn your favorite memes into videos.

But after a clip of the 9 + 10 boy encountering a never-seen shadowy figure went viral on X, jokes about time travelers bent on interrupting every meme spread like wildfire on TikTok. Here's a look at the technology and the memes that popularised the AI Extended Vines trend of 2024.

How Are People Making AI-Extended Memes and Vines?

Luma Labs introduced their AI-powered video-generating software "Dream Machine" in June 2024, with early adopters of the software using it to turn still-image memes into longer videos. X user @hey_madni posted one such thread on June 15th, starting with an AI-extended version of the Distracted Boyfriend meme.

These videos were all made using Luma AI's Dream Machine software, which can be accessed on Luma Lab's own website. New users are restricted to generating 10 videos a day, each of which can take some time to create.

Who Started The AI Vines Trend?

Various internet users used Dream Machine to create AI-extended memes, with X user @TwashTheMan posting the earliest known viral iteration of an AI Vine meme. On June 14th, 2024, @TwashTheMan posted a version of the 9 + 10 = 21 meme where a never-before-seen shadowy figure appears behind the boy saying 21.

As unnerving as the video was, it inspired scores of other internet users to share their own AI-extended versions of classic 2016 Vines, including X user @bucogon, who posted a version of the Deez Nuts video on June 16th.

What's With All The Videos Of Time Travelers Interrupting Memes On TikTok?

Soon after the AI Vines trend took off on TikTok, a repost of the 9 + 10 = 21 meme on TikTok inspired internet users to make jokes about how a group of mysterious time travelers have made it their mission to interrupt every popular meme in existence.

These jokes were aided by the fact that, for some reason, the Dream Machine insists on generating videos where a shadowy third figure enters and looms over the Vine.

For the full history of AI Vines and Time Traveler TikToks, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entries for more information.