AI's Growing Footprint In Indian Cinema- No Lessons Learnt From Hollywood?

Artificial Intelligence has penetrated almost all industries with cinema being no exception. filmmaking community in West has alrey battled initial challenges that came with technological expansion in last year's SAG AFTRA twin strikes. After a four-month complete shutdown in Hollywood, writers' and actors' bodies managed to strike a deal with production houses and streaming giants employing AI unethically. However, lessons from Hollywood seem to have been lost on Indian film industry. While well aware of potential threats posed by AI on job market, filmmakers have not shied away from embracing it and some are even using it in full-fledged ways, affecting artists' livelihood.  

Hollywood Vs Artificial Intelligence

SAG AFTRA twin strikes commenced on July 14, 2023, with actors joining fight alongside writers. When writers' strike began on May 2, it was just five months after OpenAI released ChatGPT, AI chatbot that can write essays, have sophisticated conversations and craft stories with help of a handful of prompts. Studios said it was too early to tackle AI in se negotiations and preferred to wait until 2026. However, issue boomeranged and became top two matters of contention between artists and studios. 

Apart from fair compensation, actors and writers fought against use of AI. During nearly five-month walkout, no issue resonated more than use of AI in script writing. At end of strike, proposed contract suggested AI cannot be a credited as writer. AI cannot write or rewrite “literary material” and AI-generated writing cannot be source material, ended logjam. 

Meanwhile, it was noted that production houses must get informed consent of actors whose digital replicas y were using. That means re will be a reasonably specific description of how an actor’s image will just be used — a vague, boilerplate sentence will not suffice. This includes consent of background actors used for crowd scenes and similar simulations. It also suggested that artists need to be compensated not once, but each time ir likeness, voice or any or AI creation is used by studio. 
 

Use of AI in Indian cinema

Despite growing opposition surrounding potential takeover of artificial intelligence in job market, Indian filmmakers have been using AI for quite some time now. While final output may seem to impress audiences for its larger-than-life appeal and futuristic feel, it can do more good than harm, an argument put forth during Hollywood twin strikes. Most recently, it was reported that SS Rajamouli, known for his penchant for VFX, will employ AI for creation of certain characters in his next venture thriller SSMB29, starring Mahesh Babu . 

makers of GOAT used artificial intelligence to resurrect late actor-politician Vijayakanth in Thalapathy Vijay starrer. While he secured all necessary permissions from his family to use his likeness and was confident that actor would have wanted same, move was met with a mixed response from audience. ditionally, films like Jawan and Rajnikanth's Thalaivar 171 have reportedly used de-ageing techniques to capture actor's physical appearance in a different time frame, an image that would be used once, but stored for eternity. 
 

Nag Ashwin's Kalki 2898 relied heavily on AI, be it for background scenes, Amitabh Bachchan 's appearance as his younger version or creation of Bujji. This comes amid reports that AI-powered dubbing artists are being used for Suriya starrer Kanguva. Previously, director duo Raj & DK mitted to using AI for creating character sketches in Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Varun Dhawan's Citel. 
 

Use of AI in music

Not just in films, musicians have also used AI tools to create songs. Oscar award winner MM Keeravaani has used AI for his track Love Me - If You Dare released in April 2024. Previously, Grammy winner AR Rahman used tool to recreate voices of late singers Bamba Bakya and Shahul Hameed for a song featured in Rajinikanth's Lal Salaam. 

vocates of AI in film industry

While several industry insiders have not only not objected to use of AI, ors are in favour of "embracing" it. In a recent interview with Money Control, producer Siddharth Roy Kapur argued that AI can be a useful tool in cutting down production costs by great margins. He also shared that technology could be used in post-production, reduce time needed for shoot, and furr emphasised reality that AI is here to stay. 
 

Actor Shahid Kapoor, who featured in film Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, mentioned, "I think we are on threshold of a time where AI is going to be very, very fundamental in defining our future." He shared that it is right time to accept and use technology inste of running away from it. 
 

What is problem with using AI in movies?

While content generated by AI seems exciting and a sensible monetary decision, picture behind scenes is not so rosy. Superstar Amitabh Bachchan h previously warned against dangers of artificial intelligence.

Speaking at a college event, Big B stated, "One of things that is of great concern is AI and a lot of people are objecting to fact that all of us are now being subjected to face mapping. Our entire body is going to be face-mapped and will be kept aside and can be used at any point in time. It is coincidental that just yesterday, a famous studio in Mumbai gave me a demonstration of face mapping. A lot of objections are also being raised and I believe that re is some sort of strike in Hollywood by artists because producers and directors who do your face mapping are laying claim to it, and saying this is our property we will use this whenever we want." 
 

As per a 2019 Deloitte report, Indian film industry employs 8,50,000 people. With AI coming into picture, jobs of artists, dubbing artists, scriptwriters and even actors are at risk. Shekhar Kapur recently mitted that he took help of Chat GPT for sequel of debut Indian film, Masoom (1983). He first expressed amazement at "how intuitively AI understood moral conflict in plot" in seconds but deemed future to be 'chaotic' with AI on a stefast pace to take over prime jobs. 

In an interview with Scroll, Amarinder Singh Sodhi general secretary of Association of Voice Artists, shared, “If AI takes over, we are finished." He ded, “As voice artists, we need to get some regulation in place so that our livelihood is protected.” growing use of AI in cinema brings forth two points. One, use of AI cannot be completely contained as one needs to "move forward with time". Two, conversations around potential use and misuse of technology need to be initiated among filmmaking communities.

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