**Executive Summary**
During the 19th Mumbai International Film Festival on June 16, 2026, the Indian Documentary Producers Association organized an Open Forum titled "Is AI the Future of Creativity?" Experts concluded that while AI is a transformative tool for enhancing technical production and brainstorming, human emotional intelligence remains essential to storytelling. The session emphasized the importance of responsible adoption, legal compliance regarding copyrights, and the eventual standardization of AI tools within the industry.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Technological Evolution and Production**
* AI is characterized as the next natural stage in filmmaking, offering significant advancements in post-production.
* Key technical applications include sound enhancement, color correction, visual improvements, and film restoration.
* AI serves as an "enabler" that can streamline production processes and enhance the overall audience experience.
**The Role of Human Creativity**
* Storytelling is viewed as a fundamentally human process driven by imagination, emotion, and artistic vision.
* Panelists emphasized that AI should be used as a support tool for idea generation and validation rather than a replacement for original content.
* Human creativity must remain at the center of the creative ecosystem to maintain the "essence" of cinema.
**Legal and Ethical Considerations**
* Copyright ownership of creative works remains with human creators, provided there is sufficient human involvement.
* The use of licensed data is critical when developing AI-generated content to ensure legal and ethical compliance.
* Filmmakers are advised to use AI to enhance, not replace, the creative work of original authors.
**Future Industry Outlook**
* The industry is currently in an "experimental" period regarding AI adoption.
* Time is required for the film industry to standardize AI tools and fully integrate them into professional workflows.
* Filmmakers must embrace technological change to stay relevant while ensuring the storytelling process remains human-led.
**Impact Analysis**
**Filmmakers and Content Creators**
**Impact**
They have access to new tools for brainstorming and streamlining technical tasks, but face the challenge of integrating these tools without losing the human element of their work.
**Action Required**
Filmmakers must actively seek to understand AI technology and explore its possibilities while ensuring it remains a secondary support tool to their creative vision.
**Legal Professionals and Policy Makers**
**Impact**
The rise of AI-generated content necessitates clear frameworks regarding ethical concerns, licensed data usage, and copyright protection.
**Action Required**
They must ensure that legal standards continue to protect human creators and define the level of human involvement required for copyright ownership.
**Production Houses and Studios**
**Impact**
Studios can achieve higher efficiency and improved image/sound quality, but they must navigate a period of technological transition and experimentation.
**Action Required**
Industry leaders need to work toward the standardization of AI tools and establish best practices for responsible use in the creative ecosystem.
Key Entities Referenced
19th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF): The primary event hosting the Open Forum focused on the responsible integration of Artificial Intelligence in the film industry.
Indian Documentary Producers Association (IDPA): The organization responsible for conducting the industry forum to discuss AI's impact on creativity and filmmaking.
Mumbai: The central location for the film festival and the associated discussions on the future of creative technology.
Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE): A key technical organization involved in the discussion regarding the standardization and adoption of AI tools in post-production.
Is AI the Future of Creativity?
-- 19th MIFF Open Forum
Advocates Responsible use of
AI in Cinema
AI is a tool to enhance creativity, not replace
It: Experts at Open Forum during 19th MIFF
Mumbai, 16 June 2026
The Indian Documentary Producers Association (IDPA) organised an Open Forum on the theme, “Is AI
the Future of Creativity?” during the 19th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF). The session
brought together Sanath P.C., Co-founder, Firefly Creative Studio Pvt. Ltd., Ujwal Nirgudkar, Chairman,
SMPTE, lawyer Hetal Desai Soliya and filmmaker Subodh Menon, Director – Fanboy Pictures, to
discuss the opportunities, challenges and implications of AI in filmmaking and content creation.
The discussion explored the growing role of artificial intelligence in the creative ecosystem, with
panelists examining its impact on storytelling, production processes and the future of the film industry.
While acknowledging the transformative potential of AI, the panelists emphasised that human
creativity and emotional intelligence remain central to the art of storytelling.Speaking on the technological evolution of cinema, Ujwal Nirgudkar, Chairman, SMPTE, described AI
as the next natural stage in filmmaking. He highlighted its growing role in post-production, including
sound enhancement, colour correction, visual improvements and film restoration. He also noted that
while AI tools are evolving rapidly, the industry will need time to standardise and fully adopt them.
Filmmaker Subodh Menon, Director – Fanboy Pictures., emphasised that while AI can generate content
and assist in brainstorming, storytelling remains fundamentally human. He described AI as a valuable
tool for idea generation and validation and said that understanding AI will be increasingly important
for filmmakers as the technology becomes more widely adopted.Sanath P.C, Co-founder, Firefly Creative Studio Pvt. Ltd, observed that AI can enhance storytelling by
improving image quality, sound and audience experience. Describing the current period as
experimental, he said creators should explore AI's possibilities while using it as a support tool rather
than relying on it completely.
Addressing the legal aspects of AI-generated content, Hetal Desai Soliya stressed the importance of
using licensed data and ensuring sufficient human involvement in creative works. She noted that
copyright ownership rests with human creators and advised filmmakers to use AI to enhance, rather
than replace, original content.
The panelists agreed that AI should be viewed as a powerful enabler that complements rather than
replaces human creativity. They emphasised that while AI can streamline production processes,
enhance efficiency and expand creative possibilities, the essence of storytelling continues to lie in
human imagination, emotion and artistic vision.
The discussion was followed by an engaging interaction with the audience, during which participants
explored questions relating to AI adoption, ethical concerns, copyright protection and the future of
creative professions. The session concluded with a consensus that filmmakers must embrace
technological change while ensuring that human creativity remains at the centre of the storytelling
process.
* * *
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