10 brilliant but creepy AI generated video examples

10 brilliant but creepy AI generated video examples

The AI revolution has hit us with full storm, and one of the latest developments to take over the internet is a sleuth of text-to-video AI generated content, ranging from the impressive yet mildly unsettling, all the way to the downright terrifying.

People have likened the content to dreams (and often nightmares), where reality is shifted just enough to give an uncanny and uncomfortable representation of the world we thought we knew. It's likely that as these algorithms improve, AI generated content will become a lot more realistic and (for better or for worse) a lot less creepy. But for now, we're enjoying watching text-to-video AI find its strangely shaped feet.

If you're looking to utilise AI to elevate your own video content, check out our list of the 12 best AI video generators on the market right now.

In this article, we take a look at 10 of the best AI generated videos that we've seen:

Contents:

1. Synthetic Summer - AI generated beer commercial
2. The Great Catsby - AI generated movie trailer
3. Pepperoni Hug Spot - AI generated pizza commercial
4. Presidential Banquet - AI generated short
5. Will Smith eating spaghetti - AI generated clip
6. AI generated dogs - AI generated clip
7. Dreamy diner - AI generated short
8. Pizza nuggets 1993 - AI generated commercial
9. Burger Blast 1995 - AI generated commercial
10. Dwayne Johnson eating rocks - AI generated clip

1. Synthetic Summer - AI generated beer commercial

This terrifying recreation of a beer commercial has been blown up on the internet recently. At very first glance it could almost be real (almost), but as the video progresses, our AI artist either looses grasp on the laws of physics, or gets a bit trigger happy after discovering what fire is. We've all been there.

However, whilst videos like this are easy to dismiss, there's growing concern about a future where AI generated content will become indistinguishable from authentic videos. Speaking with Daily Hive, machine-learning engineer and Forbes-dubbed “DeepFake thought leader” Rijul Gupta has said that at the current rate of advancement, we're likely only a year away from models that can generate content of a "really, really high resolution". Gupta echoes concerns that social media giants will need to consider their obligation to flag what's real and what's not to their users, noting the importance of the "ability to determine truth from fiction".

2. The Great Catsby - AI generated movie trailer

Generated with Runway's Gen-2 text-to-video generator, this AI generated movie trailer does a pretty good job at convincing us all to watch the next big nonexistent film, The Great Catspy.

Gen-2 is one of the first text-to-video tools of its kind, allowing users to generate original videos by inputting nothing but a text prompt. Earlier models relied on users inputting existing videos for the programme to model itself after, so this development represents a significant step forward in AI's abilities, and in a surprisingly short amount of time. In fact, it's not a far stretch to imagine a world where Hollywood films are churned out by aspiring directors inputting their 2am movie ideas into AI movie generators. At least you won't have to read your friend's manuscript.

3. Pepperoni Hug Spot - AI generated pizza commercial

If we excuse the off-putting humanoids learning how to use their lips, this nostalgic homage to old American pizza adverts does seem to imitate something vaguely familiar. Though even with this reliable format and short run time, it still manages to out itself as another AI abomination (if we're being honest). All things considered however, as many commenters have noted, "like family, but with more cheese" is a pretty solid tagline.

The main issue with these AI generated videos is their poor coherence from frame to frame. Given the fact that it was just 10 years ago that AI first learnt to identify a cat, we can at least commend them for their ability to contextualise the prompts they're given and piece together the different elements. But when it comes to consistency and flow, we're still a long way to go.

4. Presidential Banquet - AI generated short

Ever wanted to see Trump, Obama, Biden and Hillary Clinton share a live octopus over dinner? No? We didn't either, but this is where we're at now.

Many of these new AI tools are having to adapt by installing restrictions to their algorithms to try and moderate the content being produced. Users reported being unable to use the word 'arrested' as a prompt on generative AI art tool Midjourney, after one user used the platform to create images of Trump being arrested, which preceded to go viral (though people remained generally unconvinced). Of course, there will always be those who attempt to jailbreak these limits to violate safety filters and enable them to generate prohibited responses.

5. Will Smith eating spaghetti - AI generated clip

Generated using the new Modelscope Text2Video generator, this disturbing AI generated video of Will Smith eating spaghetti went viral on social media upon its release, likely inspiring the following trend of similar videos.

Of course, the accessibility of text-to-video AI has provoked an influx of celebrity content. For the moment, it's mostly slightly demonic looking internet memes, but it does reignite the question of ownership and ethics that tends to surround these discussions about AI. Writing for Wired, Jason Parham refers to videos like those of Will Smith in his discussion of how machine learning "twists fantasy into gross minstrelsy", raising concerns about how the inherent bias of these algorithms can reinforce racist imagery.

Since most generative AI is simply regenerating its content from large sections of the internet, we'd be right to be concerned about who and what it's trying to recreate.

6. AI generated dogs - AI generated clip

Did someone slip something in my tea? The music really doesn't help but this AI generated clip of dogs truly is the stuff of fever dreams. Just when you think it's worked out what a dog looks like, rows of teeth unhinge themselves from overhanging jaws and disfigured puppies start flailing about in the wind. Maybe don't watch before you go to sleep.

Whilst these primitive attempts at capturing reality is what makes these videos so enjoyable to watch, some of them feel less like watching a baby animal trying to use its legs and more like a demon trying to manifest itself in physical form...

7. Dreamy Diner - AI generated short

Just like its cameo appearance of AI Danny DeVito, this video feels just familiar enough to register as what it's supposed to be, but far enough away to feel unsettling and uncomfortably surreal. Swiftly moving on...

8. Pizza Nuggets 1993 - AI generated commercial

Another old American food commercial, this time featuring a parasitic fried food apocalypse (there's worse ways to go). Clearly, AI has some work to do when it comes to human hands, but in its defence, have you ever tried drawing a human hand?

Bill Gates has argued that recent developments in AI are as revolutionary as mobile phones and the internet were. Perhaps he's not talking about Pizza Nuggets 1993 in particular, but these videos nevertheless reflect the beginning of a new era of technology. And whilst there may appear to little threat in creating 90s style food commercials, it doesn't take much to imagine the damage that can be done by creating fake videos that appear real. Like others, Gates suggests that we're approaching a time where "governments [will] need to work with the private sector on ways to limit the risks".

9. Taste of Duality - AI generated short

The creators of The Great Catspy return for Taste of Duality, a cinematic fantasy teaser trailer that feels poetically dark and intriguing. Whilst there's undeniably room for improvement, this short does well to showcase AI's impressive grasp on some fairly complex compositions. Although waterfalls and floaty fabrics seem more AI's forte at the moment, at least compared to eating food.

For all the ethical fears surrounding the AI debate, videos like this one are an exciting insight into how AI can be used to empower creators and give us all access to tools that allow us to better explore our creative expression. There's a growing discussion about how these new advancements in technology will revolutionise the gaming industry, enhancing the experience for users and making the production process more accessible for creators.

10. Dwayne Johnson eating rocks - AI generated clip

Finally, something you probably never thought you'd see - Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson eating rocks. It's objectively a pretty poor attempt at imitating anything close to realism, but in usual fashion, this is why the internet loves it. In fact, these text-to-video creations align pretty well with GenZ's love for "deep-fried memes", which draw comedy from absurdity and hail incomprehension as the pinnacle of humour.

Like the viral Will Smith video and others such as Joe Rogan fighting a bear, this was likely created using the open source AI tool, ModelScope. These short, horrifying creations are often identifiable by the Shutterstock watermark, alluding to the AI model's use of stock images to generate its content.

Wrapping up

It's a weird world we're living in... It's hard to say where this new era of technology will take us, but if there's one thing we can rely on, people on the internet are going to have their fun with it.

Perhaps we should cherish this era of glitchy transitions and misshapen appendages, before it's all just a distant memory that we long for as we try to decipher whether the latest celebrity arrest video is real or fake.