Mumbai, July 9
Padma Bhushan awardee Shekhar Kapur is coming out in support of Artificial Intelligence in the content business.
On Wednesday, the director took to his X, formerly Twitter, and penned a long note talking about how AI is the best thing to have happened to storytellers. He called it the most democratic technology ever.
He wrote, “Amazing how unaware people in the content business are of immense change AI is causing. We’re either too afraid of change, or hiding our heads in the sand. AI is the most democratic technology ever. So if you're a Gatekeeper in the Content Business, you won’t survive. For soon kids will be able to create content that was once the realm of big budget Studio Movies or Shows. At a tiny tiny tiny fraction of your budgetsâ€.
He further mentioned that even distribution won’t be a challenge for the art produced by AI as he went on to quote the example of the Chinese short-format video platform TikTok.
He shared, “And the argument that they will still need our distribution won’t hold. .. remember TikTok? It was a multi-billion dollar business before Hollywood could even spell the word. It’s the time of the best storytellers, not gatekeepers (sic)â€.
The debate around the growing influence of AI in content business has been brewing for a long time. The recent controversy over ChatGPT creating Studio Ghibli style art caused a huge uproar in the creator circles.
In a way, the resistance is nothing new, as we have seen the same resistance to tech since the time of the first industrial revolution. In West Bengal, the CPI (M) government even banned computers in the 1980s. But has used AI during the elections campaigns in the state. Afterall, the marching of time and tech in inevitable and brings a new world order.
— IANS
Reader Comments
But what about authenticity? AI-generated content lacks the human touch that makes Indian stories special. Our films like Lagaan or Taare Zameen Par came from real experiences 😕
As a YouTuber from Patna, I welcome this! Big production houses ignore regional content. With AI tools, we can create professional-quality Bhojpuri films without begging Mumbai studios for money 💪
Interesting perspective! In Hollywood we're seeing similar debates. But India's storytelling tradition is so rich - maybe AI could help preserve dying folk art forms by making them commercially viable?
Kapur sir is visionary, but he's missing the jobs angle. India's media industry employs millions - from spot boys to editors. What happens to them? Govt should think about skilling programs alongside AI adoption.
AI is just a tool na? Ultimately the story matters. Look at Kantara - simple budget but powerful storytelling. Technology can't replace that Indian "dil ki awaaz" â¤ï¸
The comparison to TikTok is spot on. Indian creators bypassed traditional media to build massive followings. Same will happen with AI video tools - the next SSR might come from
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.