Nostalgic AI images of old Singapore make me uneasy
As AI gets better at simulating the ‘good old days’, we may soon be unable – even unwilling – to differentiate what’s real from what’s rendered.
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This photo of the McDonald’s outlet at King Albert Park, untouched by AI, was taken in 1991. The landmark is popular among AI recreations.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Doomscrolling on Instagram recently, I came across what looked like a photograph of the former Jurong Entertainment Centre (JEC). The image appeared hyper-realistic – its distinctive facade, with its blue-grey palette and Shaw Brothers “SB” signage, immediately stood out – before it started to feel “off”.
This Jurong East staple, which had shut down in 2008, held many core memories from my teenage years. The stale buttery scent of popcorn-stained cinema seats. The hand-painted dinosaur mural flanking the main escalators. The cold blast of air walking into the ice-skating rink. The final moments I spent with a budding relationship that was over before it had begun.
