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The Trolley Problem meme is based on a philosophical ethical dilemma illustrated in a comic format. The depicted scene shows a trolley advancing along the tracks towards five individuals tied down, presenting an immediate threat to their lives. Meanwhile, a single bystander stands next to a lever that has the potential to switch the trolley's path to another track, where only one person is tied down. The visual simplicity of the sketch underscores the gravity of the decision between harming fewer or more individuals, encapsulating the moral quandary presented in the original thought experiment.
Originating from a thought experiment formulated by philosopher Philippa Foot in 1967, the Trolley Problem involves a moral decision where a trolley, headed towards five people tied to the tracks, can be diverted to a different track with a single person tied instead. This scenario has been leveraged particularly within military dialogues to address complex issues regarding population targeting. The meme version of this dilemma emerged from a comic rendition by Jesse Prinz, a philosophy professor who uploaded it on subcortex.com prior to 2009. The image resonated widely and was accompanied by a similar moral scenario titled the Fat Man Problem. The exploitable nature of the comic allowed it to gain traction across various online platforms, where users create variations to explore different ethical conundrums. More about the original depiction and variations can be found at subcortex.com.
Origin: 2009
AI Memes is a free online meme maker that lets you create viral memes with custom text, images, and AI-powered editing tools.
You can browse our growing library of popular meme templates, quickly caption images, videos, or GIFs in Caption This, or design completely custom image memes from scratch in our free-form editor with extra AI tools like Magic Prompt, Magic Face Swap, Magic Erase, and Magic Face.
The platform includes three main tools:
Text is fully customizable with font selection, weight controls, colors, and styling like outlines and italics. Each text layer has its own opacity slider, and you can drag text around the canvas or drag layers in the sidebar to control which elements appear on top. Add as many text boxes as you need with the "Add Text" button.
Upload and layer additional images onto your meme with the "Upload Image" button. Each image can be repositioned, resized, and have its opacity adjusted. Paste images directly with CMD/CTRL + V for quick edits.
Enable custom headers above your media with adjustable colors and heights—perfect for adding context or reaction text. This works in both Caption This and when editing templates from the meme library.
Yes! Use Caption This to add text, headers, and captions to videos and animated GIFs. Simply upload your video or GIF file, add your customizations, and download the finished meme. The tool preserves the animation and exports your captioned video or animated GIF ready to share.
You can also upload your own videos and animated GIFs in Caption This to add captions and text overlays. The meme template library features hundreds of popular image templates that open in the same editor with all the same customization options.
All our tools work well on mobile! Whether you're on desktop, tablet, or phone, AI Memes is fully optimized for your device. Create memes on your phone during your commute or design on your computer—the interface adapts seamlessly to your screen size. Caption This, the meme template library, and the full editor all work perfectly on touchscreens with intuitive drag-and-drop controls and mobile-friendly buttons.
Yes! There are tons of use cases to use AI Memes for outside of memes. The tools work great for any image, GIF, or video editing needs. Create tutorial screenshots with text annotations, add subtitles to explainer videos, design eye-catching YouTube thumbnails, caption product demos, build Instagram story templates, or create branded video content for your business. If you need to put text or images on media quickly, AI Memes has you covered.
AI Memes supports PNG, JPG, and WEBP images, MP4 videos, and animated GIFs. Your download will match your upload format—bring us an image, get an image back; bring us a video, get a video back; bring us a GIF, get a GIF back.
No account required! You can start creating memes immediately without signing up. Simply visit any tool, upload or select a template, customize it, and download. However, creating a free account gives you access to features like saved projects and your meme creation history. Upgrading to AI Memes Pro removes the AI Memes watermark from your downloads and unlocks tons of powerful AI features in the full editor.
