5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
Elon Musk says he's bringing back Vine in AI form. Here's what that could mean
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Good news: Vine might be coming back. Bad news: in AI form, courtesy of Elon Musk.
'We're bringing back Vine, but in AI form,' Musk announced on X on Thursday. He did not elaborate further on his plans.
Others, however, were more open to the idea. 'Could be interesting to see what AI comes up with and evolves into,' one X user wrote.
Before TikTok, there was Vine. At its peak, the app boasted 200 million active users and introduced the culture to classics like ' and they were roommates ' and ' hurricane tortilla.'
Vine allowed users to upload only 6-second clips, laying the groundwork for TikTok's current short-form dominance. It launched the careers of many of today's biggest influencers and originated several of TikTok's most viral trends, including LeBron James and the ALS ice bucket challenge.
X acquired Vine from its founders in 2012 for $30 million, but shut it down just five years later, citing commercial viability. The Vine archive remained available for another two years until it was officially discontinued in 2019.
Musk, who bought Twitter in 2022 and renamed it X, has long been vocal about potentially reviving the platform. In 2022, he posted a poll: 'Bring back Vine?' with almost 70% voting in favor. Even MrBeast replied: 'If you did that and actually competed with tik tok that'd be hilarious.'
Musk posted the same poll again last year, once more receiving an overwhelmingly positive response. YouTuber-turned-professional boxer Jake Paul, who got his first six seconds of fame on Vine, commented: 'Do it Elon I'll help however I can and round up all the og viners.'
In January, Musk confirmed that his team was 'looking into it' at the same time TikTok was facing a potential ban in the United States.
But now that fans have heard his plans, they might be reconsidering. What 'Vine, but in AI form' actually means is still unclear. Best case scenario: perhaps an AI-powered algorithm. Worst case: an endless scroll of AI-generated slop.
For now, I'll stick with classic Vine compilations on YouTube.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eve Upton-Clark is a writer at Fast Company who focuses on internet culture and trends, covering everything from politics to pop culture.. She has been a freelance features writer since 2020 and is a regular contributor to Business Insider, Telegraph, Dazed, and more More
