The rise of ‘Kirkifying’ means Charlie Kirk’s image is suddenly everywhere

A new viral trend known as “kirkifying” has taken over social media timelines with startling speed. The meme format uses artificial intelligence tools to paste slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s face onto reaction photos and viral gifs.

A Reddit thread titled “Can yall leave every kirkified pic yall have in the comments” shows how widespread the trend has become. Users have filled the page with hundreds of “Kirkified” images and even dropped unrelated memes asking others to “Kirkify it” using AI tools.

According to Know Your Meme, the earliest known “Kirkified” post appeared just 13 days after Kirk’s assassination on Sept. 10. The first meme was a recreation of a popular clip of streamer IShowSpeed trying not to laugh during one of his livestreams.

The creator who posted the “Kirkified” Speed meme went private for a time — likely due to backlash — but after becoming public again, the post climbed to more than 3.2 million views and 144,000 likes.

AI tools made the trend spread fast

After the first post gained traction, Kirk edits spread quickly across X, Reddit and TikTok. Some users used tools like Viggle AI to recreate well-known memes. One user generated a Michael Jordan edit after joking online that they had a meeting with HR for making a Kirk-related joke.

Tools that once required professional editing skills now allow users to create face-swap content in seconds. Because of that, the trend surged without any particular reason beyond the internet’s habit of remixing public figures during major news moments.

Kirk’s death produced a wave of reaction images and GIFs long before the “Kirkified” edits emerged. Shock moments often create meme fuel, and Kirk’s likeness became a template people reused again and again.

Kirk isn’t the only public figure caught in AI edits

The trend comes as AI-generated deepfakes of public figures, living and deceased, have become more common. When OpenAI released Sora 2, users began generating videos featuring people like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robin Williams because the likeness of a deceased individual is not always protected under copyright law.

However, the company tightened its guardrails. As Straight Arrow News reported last month, a complaint from King’s estate led to a decision from OpenAI to strengthen protections for historical and deceased public figures. The company temporarily paused all Sora generations featuring King after disrespectful depictions circulated online.

In a joint statement with the King family, OpenAI said it aims to give families and representatives more control over how a loved one’s likeness is used. The company specifically thanked King’s daughter, Bernice King, who reached out on behalf of the estate.

Experts warn that deepfake technology outpaces regulation

David Gunkel, a professor at Northern Illinois University who studies AI ethics, says the underlying issues extend far beyond memes. He pointed to a notorious example: deepfakes of Taylor Swift that circulated in explicit content two years ago.

“It created a great deal of outrage from not only her fans but also from regulators,” Gunkel told SAN.

While the Kirk trend is satirical to some by comparison, the technology enabling both is the same. AI systems can recreate someone’s face with almost no oversight, raising the risk of harm and the difficulty of holding creators accountable.

“Right now, there is no legal arrangement that tells us who’s responsible,” Gunkel said. “You can bet that at some point there will be a lawsuit where they will try to identify who the responsible party is.”

Because AI regulation remains limited, harmful deepfakes often fall into a gray area. That uncertainty contributes to public hesitation about AI tools, especially when they involve real people.

The debate over consent and AI is growing

Even with those concerns, Gunkel believes disengaging from the technology will not solve the issue. 

“I think we have to engage it and we have to see what it can and cannot do,” Gunkel said. “And together decide what is the best way forward that values what we value and gives us results that will encourage human flourishing.”

The post The rise of ‘Kirkifying’ means Charlie Kirk’s image is suddenly everywhere appeared first on Straight Arrow News.

Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief

Ella Greene

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