Editorial | Ranking the Pitt AI-generated memes

Dall-E, the AI trained to create images based on text, has taken the internet by storm this week, with new accounts on Twitter and Reddit popping up to post about the weirdest combinations that can be made using the app. Some examples include Rocky Balboa fighting the Michelin Man and Gollum playing tennis. Truly, you can make whatever your heart desires with this AI.

It was only a matter of time before Pitt students got into the mix. @pitt_afffirmations on Instagram created some Pitt-themed memes using Dall-E with some outlandish scenarios bound to make Pitt students laugh. Here are our rankings for the best ones with a Pitt theme.

5. Kenny Pickett in Rite Aid

While it would be really cool to see our very own Kenny Pickett browsing the aisles of Rite Aid for snacks or shampoo, the Dall-E AI didn’t do so well at making out the shapes of the store or of Pickett. He sort of looks like a blue and yellow blob in a vaguely Rite Aid background. Great job on the idea, less so on the execution.

4. Megan Thee Stallion at the Fallingwater House

As much as we’d love to hear Megan Thee Stallion’s signature “Ah!” with the soothing sounds of water behind it, the Dall-E website had a tough time creating both Megan’s features as well as the beautiful architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. Let’s hope that next time Megan tours, she’ll make a stop at Fallingwater to make this image a reality.

3. Kanye West in the Cathedral of Learning

What do Kanye West’s tour staging and the Cathedral of Learning have in common? They are both extra — but in a great way! Cathy would make the perfect setting for Kanye’s next tour — it already looks like a church, which would make it the best place for Ye to perform his album “Jesus is King.” The AI also did a bit better in making this image — we can see both Cathy and Kanye more clearly, albeit a bit fuzzy on Ye’s face.

2. Roc the Panther in jail

While we can’t imagine what crimes Roc must have committed to have landed in jail, the look of anguish that the Dall-E website generated on the poor panther’s face shows that it must have been pretty bad. Let’s hope he’s out by the next football season, because we really need his cheer! The AI had an easier time making the panther’s face as well as clearly showing the bars he’s behind, so it definitely had a much better execution than the images above, earning it the number two spot overall. 

1. Cows on Heinz Field

Pigeons always seem to wander onto the field during football games — how fun would it be to look out onto the field and see a bunch of cows roaming? They would definitely make sure the grass was cut so our team could score, and they’d distract the other teams with their adorable nature. Spectators just may feel less inclined to eat a hamburger while watching the next game. The Dall-E generator did great in showcasing what this would look like — the cows actually look like they’re on the field in this one. A+ on idea and execution for this one!