The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) and YouTube have reached a significant milestone in their collaborative 'Create with AI' program. This initiative, first announced in November 2025, aims to bolster India's capabilities in emerging technologies by supporting AI-driven creative projects. The program has now unveiled its first four AI-enabled short films, marking a crucial step towards establishing India as a global frontrunner in AI-led filmmaking.
Pioneering AI-Enabled Storytelling
The inaugural films were developed by four distinct studios: Eleventh Door Studio, Avium Studios, Karthik Kult Kreations, and Kalpanik Films LLP. These groundbreaking works were premiered at the IICT Theatre in Mumbai before being released by the filmmakers on their respective YouTube channels, in conjunction with IICT.
The 'Create with AI' program is designed to offer comprehensive support to participating studios. It synergizes IICT's state-of-the-art infrastructure and expert faculty mentorship with YouTube's advanced AI software, tools, and credits. This unique combination enables creators to experiment with artificial intelligence across every stage of filmmaking, from initial concept development and visualization to production and post-production. Audiences can also access exclusive behind-the-scenes content that delves into the tools, techniques, and creative processes employed by these innovative teams.
Industry Leaders on India's AI Potential
Filmmaker Rajesh Mapuskar was present at the showcase, engaging directly with the creative teams behind the films. The event underscored a shared vision for India's future in the creative technology space.
Dr. Vishwas Deoskar, CEO of IICT, emphasized India's unique position: “India has the opportunity to lead the next chapter of AI-led filmmaking. The Create with AI program brings together institutional mentorship and access to advanced AI tools, giving Indian creative studios the opportunity to experiment, build capabilities and develop new filmmaking workflows. This is an important step towards creating an ecosystem that can place India at the forefront of AI-driven storytelling.”
Gunjan Soni, Managing Director – India, YouTube, highlighted the transformative power of AI for creators.
“India has always been an extraordinary storytelling nation, but we are now seeing independent creators build production powerhouses on their own terms. Generative AI fundamentally removes production bottlenecks—giving creators valuable time back to focus on writing, world-building, and craft. Our partnership with IICT demonstrates what happens when fearless Indian storytelling meets frontier technology to produce world-class cinema on an independent scale,” said Soni.
A recent Gen Media India report by Public First and Google supports this view, indicating that generative media tools can boost creative workers' productivity in India by 20%. This translates to an estimated saving of 390 hours annually, effectively providing creators with nearly ten additional weeks to refine their craft and focus on core creative tasks.
Ninad Raikar, COO of IICT, reflected on the program's core philosophy: “The question for us was never whether AI will replace creativity, but what becomes possible when we equip creators with these new tools. Create with AI was designed as a hands-on experiment—bringing together Google and YouTube’s AI technologies, IICT’s infrastructure and faculty mentorship, and the imagination of filmmakers. The four films show that AI is most powerful when it expands creative possibilities while the filmmaker remains firmly at the centre of the storytelling process.”
About IICT
The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) serves as India’s National Centre of Excellence for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR). Established through a collaborative effort involving the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, the Government of Maharashtra, FICCI, and CII, IICT is at the forefront of fostering talent in creative technologies. Its initial campus commenced operations at the NFDC Complex in July 2025, with a permanent 10-acre campus currently under development at Film City, Goregaon. IICT offers 18 courses and maintains partnerships with leading global technology and media companies.