A photo of a National Day banner has gone viral after eagle-eyed netizens spotted what appeared to be an Indonesian flag displayed alongside the Singapore flag.
The image was shared in the Complaint Singapore Facebook group on Tuesday (21 July), with the caption: “Something is wrong here. Is it [Singapore’s] birthday or [Indonesia’s] birthday or both?”
The large banner featured the SG61 logo and the words “Celebrating Singapore’s 61st Birthday”.
Source: Complaint Singapore on Facebook
The slogan “One Nation, One People” could also be seen at the bottom, along with a red-and-white flag in the lower-left corner and a Singapore flag on the right side of the SG61 logo.
However, the flag in the lower-left corner was missing Singapore’s crescent moon and five stars, making it resemble Indonesia’s national flag instead.
The unusual details led several netizens to speculate that the banner had been created using artificial intelligence (AI).
One commenter pointed out that even if the Singapore flag had been reversed, the crescent and stars should still have been visible, adding that people “rely on AI too much to come out with such design”.
Source: Facebook
Another observant Facebook user noticed that a little girl featured on the banner appeared to be holding a stick with no flag attached.
Source: Facebook
A separate commenter also remarked that the girl’s hair “looks weird”.
Source: Facebook
Others took a more light-hearted approach, with one netizen joking that Singapore and Indonesia could celebrate their national days together since they fall just eight days apart.
Source: Facebook
Kampong Chai Chee Community Club addressed the matter in a Facebook post that evening, confirming that the banner was AI-generated and had been displayed as part of the estate’s National Day decorations.
According to the community club, the banner was created and paid for by residents who had come together to spread festive cheer in the neighbourhood.
Many of the volunteers were seniors who had generously contributed their time and effort to make the estate more vibrant, but were unaware that the AI-generated design contained inaccuracies.
“Once the issue was brought to their attention, the residents promptly replaced the banner on the same day,” the community club said.
It also thanked members of the public who highlighted the error, describing the incident as a timely reminder that while AI can be useful, its output should always be carefully checked before use.
“Thank you to all our residents and volunteers for their continued efforts to build a caring, connected and spirited community. Wishing everyone a happy National Day in advance!” it added.
Also read: ‘Patriotic’ man rides Anywheel bicycle on road in Serangoon with large national flag
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Featured image adapted from Complaint Singapore on Facebook.