Aleem Hossain, an associate professor of Media Arts & Culture at Occidental College, decided to shake things up by making a sci‑fi film with AI for less than $300. His project, titled “Do Bangladroids Dream Of Electric Tagore?” takes a deep dive into identity and cultural heritage from a South Asian perspective. Although he feels a strong sense of pride in his work, Hossain can’t help but wrestle with the ethics of profiting from it.
Hossain’s passion for storytelling has always driven him to explore neglected narratives. In his early years, he was captivated by science fiction—a genre that usually demands extensive resources to build worlds unlike our own. His debut feature cost $30,000, but he’s since discovered that with the right tools, experimentation can yield striking results on a much smaller budget. This latest film could keep costs down by harnessing subscriptions to Midjourney, an AI image generator, a free version of the generative AI voice tool ElevenLabs, and a hired voice actor.
Set in a futuristic New Jersey 50 years from now, the film imagines a world devoid of humans after a failed robot uprising. In this scenario, the surviving robots reflect on their past through the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore, a nod to Philip K. Dick’s classic, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” By infusing the narrative with his own Bangladeshi-American experiences, Hossain offers a fresh take on a story often dominated by a white male perspective.
He invites viewers to consider the dynamics of power and identity in a globalised world. If you’ve ever wrestled with the challenge of carving out your own narrative amidst prevailing norms, this film prods you to examine how we treat others—and even our digital creations.
A practical stint in an AI filmmaking course at Curious Refuge helped him master the art of prompting AI tools, essential for generating thousands of robot visuals. With a careful blend of technical detail and creative expression, he proved that quality art isn’t reserved for those with deep pockets. Yet, as with any breakthrough, ethical questions persist. Intellectual property concerns, potential job displacement, and the environmental cost of energy-hungry technology all add layers to Hossain’s dilemma over charging for his work.
The film stands as both a creative venture and a thoughtful commentary on our rapidly evolving tech landscape. Hossain’s experiment offers a glimpse into a future where innovative, low-budget approaches pave the way for fresh narratives—while challenging us to weigh artistic integrity against modern efficiencies.
