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

Artificial Intelligence has penetrated almost all industries with cinema being no exception. The filmmaking community in the West has already battled the initial challenges that came with the technological expansion in last year's SAG AFTRA twin strikes. After a four-month complete shutdown in Hollywood, the writers' and actors' bodies managed to strike a deal with the production houses and streaming giants employing AI unethically. However, lessons from Hollywood seem to have been lost on the Indian film industry. While well aware of the potential threats posed by AI on the 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

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

Apart from fair compensation, actors and writers fought against the use of AI. During the nearly five-month walkout, no issue resonated more than the use of AI in script writing. At the end of the strike, the 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 the logjam. 

Meanwhile, it was noted that production houses must get the informed consent of actors whose digital replicas they were using. That means there 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 the 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 their likeness, voice or any other AI creation is used by the studio. 
 

Use of AI in Indian cinema

Despite the growing opposition surrounding the potential takeover of artificial intelligence in the job market, Indian filmmakers have been using AI for quite some time now. While the final output may seem to impress the 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 the creation of certain characters in his next adventure thriller SSMB29, starring Mahesh Babu . 

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

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

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 the tool to recreate the voices of late singers Bamba Bakya and Shahul Hameed for a song featured in Rajinikanth's Lal Salaam. 

Advocates of AI in the film industry

While several industry insiders have not only not objected to the use of AI, others 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 the technology could be used in post-production, reduce the time needed for shoot, and further emphasised the reality that AI is here to stay. 
 

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

What is the problem with using AI in movies?

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

Speaking at a college event, Big B stated, "One of the things that is of great concern is AI and a lot of people are objecting to the 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 there 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, the Indian film industry employs 8,50,000 people. With AI coming into the picture, the jobs of artists, dubbing artists, scriptwriters and even actors are at risk. Shekhar Kapur recently admitted that he took the help of Chat GPT for the sequel of the debut Indian film, Masoom (1983). He first expressed amazement at "how intuitively AI understood the moral conflict in the plot" in seconds but deemed the future to be 'chaotic' with AI on a steadfast pace to take over the prime jobs. 

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

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