# AI Zombie Video on Singapore’s National Day Sparks Debate on Filmmaking’s Future > Source: > Published: 2026-08-10 13:19:43+00:00 **August 10, 2026**, (Inside AI) — A short AI-generated film reimagining Singapore's National Day Parade as a zombie apocalypse has ignited fierce debate about the future of filmmaking, after premiering on YouTube to coincide with the annual celebration this past Sunday. The video, titled **Bersama Majulah**, is part of **Spore Fall**, billed as Southeast Asia's first human-written but AI-realized transmedia franchise. Creator and showrunner **Joel Boh** says the project deliberately courts controversy to prove a point: audiences will watch AI content, even when they claim to hate it. "The fact that people are talking - whether in support or in criticism - tells us the film is landing as intended. We view the debate as a healthy sign of cultural impact," **Joel Boh, creator and showrunner of Spore Fall** Boh revealed that the short film achieved an **85 to 93 percent** audience retention rate on YouTube, a metric that undercuts the widespread dismissal of AI-generated video as disposable "slop." Viewers are watching all the way through, he notes, even if only to leave a negative comment. "They're watching till the end - just to leave a negative comment. That suggests something deeper. Audiences are hungry for connection, but they can't quite get past the fact that the content is AI-generated. They feel strongly enough to finish engaging, only to push back on the medium," **Joel Boh** The production methodology behind **Spore Fall** draws a hard line between creative and technical labor. Boh insists that the "soul of the work" — story arcs, character motivations, narrative structure — is entirely human-crafted. AI tools are deployed only for execution: generating environments, visual effects, and scaling production. This hybrid model is emerging as a common defense among creators who want to leverage generative AI without ceding authorship. Yet the zombie parade has become a flashpoint in a broader industry reckoning. Detractors argue that even "human-written, AI-realized" pipelines devalue traditional filmmaking crafts, from cinematography to set design. Supporters counter that such tools democratize high-end production, allowing independent creators in regions like Southeast Asia to compete with Hollywood budgets. Singapore's media regulator has not commented on the film, but the city-state has been actively courting AI innovation through initiatives like the **National AI Strategy 2.0**. The government views AI as a pillar of economic growth, even as it grapples with ethical guidelines for synthetic media. This tension mirrors global debates: the **European Union's AI Act** imposes transparency obligations on AI-generated content, while the **U.S. Copyright Office** continues to deny registration for purely machine-authored works. Boh's experiment taps into a deeper anxiety about authenticity in the age of generative AI. When an AI can convincingly render a national tragedy or celebration, what happens to the shared cultural experience? The high retention rate suggests that viewers are not indifferent — they are emotionally engaged, even if that engagement manifests as anger. That paradox may define the next phase of AI entertainment: content that compels attention not despite its synthetic origins, but because of them.