Two Singapore-made films created using artificial intelligence (AI) are set to premiere on Sunday, August 9, coinciding with Singapore's National Day, sparking debate about the growing role of generative AI in filmmaking.

The films, titled Bersama Majulah and Trace Project, both tell fictional stories inspired by Singapore. Bersama Majulah (Malay for "Together Onwards") is a short film produced by Singapore-based AI studio Edenstone. It depicts a National Day Parade in the fictional country of Lionara, disrupted by a deadly spore outbreak that turns people into zombies. The film features familiar landmarks such as Marina Bay and the Merlion. Local showrunner Joel Boh created the film, with Golden Horse-winning producer Chan Gin Kai as executive producer and a theme song by local musician Dharma Sadasivan. It is a spin-off of Edenstone's AI animation series Spore Fall and will be released on the series website on August 9.

The hour-long Trace Project follows Lin Jia Jun, Singapore's first astronaut to set foot on Mars after humanity launches the fictional Mars Footprints Programme to establish a new civilization following Earth's collapse.

The release of these AI-generated films has sparked online debate, with some critics dismissing them as "AI slop" and questioning the increasing use of generative AI in creative work. However, Edenstone said in a press release that it expected the film to generate "widespread public discourse" and viewed the public debate as "a sign of cultural impact." On Bersama Majulah's social media pages, some commenters responded with encouraging messages.

Opposition to AI-generated creative work has also been noted in parts of the film industry. For example, The New York Times reported that the Writers Guild of America East ended its 12-year partnership with the Urbanworld Film Festival in July after the festival introduced a new program showcasing AI films.

Sources

CNA Latest News