Google and Nandan Nilekani’s Fundamentum Partnership-backed audio content platform Kuku FM wants generative AI to become an integral part of everything it does — content creation, production and dissemination. Lal Chand Bisu, co-founder & CEO, says, “We know accurately which GenAI model can work for which genre. Certain models don’t handle science fiction well while others don’t handle true crime well and so on. The capability varies genre to genre.”
AI’s impact on content is evident already. “Now you are able to create full episodes using AI and, of course, through AI you can create immersive interactive experiences,” says Divya Dixit, chief growth officer, One Health Assist. “AI is going to transform content because it is generating dialogues, it is generating scripts, it is allowing copywriters to perfect the script so copywriters have more time to think things through.”
According to Bisu, Kuku FM’s AI integration aims to personalise content for diverse audience segments. “Generative AI will always remain an enabler in the creative industry. So while GenAI can help reduce the cost of production, diversify content types and create new forms of content from scratch, the core of it — the storytelling — has to have the human touch,” he states.
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In 2023, the market size of GenAI in media and entertainment in India was recorded at $6 mn, right behind Japan with $8.4 mn. The Indian market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 43.8%, reaching $88 mn in 2032.
Integrating AI in content production is increasingly seen as a business differentiator, say experts, which makes it highly appealing for businesses seeking time-saving and cost-effective methods to develop content. Vikasraj Yadav, managing partner at NextEdge AI Consulting, says AI’s role has moved past generating scripts into characterisation as well. He references technologies like NotebookLM by Google, which can convert text into podcast-style audio formats with character personas tailored to specific audience preferences. “On this spectrum, [AI platforms] can create any sort of model, any sort of persona to get output from this story,” Yadav states.
While platforms are exploring innovative solutions with AI to cater to an increasingly varied audience base, its use isn’t so widespread yet. Raghav Anand, partner & leader of digital, new media & convergence, EY-Parthenon, says the scope of AI is largely confined to the pre-production stage. It is used for ideation and pre-visualisation at the pre-production stage and the impact there is nothing much to write home about. However, he adds that at the “lowest end” of content production, such as social media creatives and marketing materials, AI can achieve up to a 30% efficiency gain.
The expansion of AI in content production brings its own set of challenges. Dixit warns of ethical and legal concerns, noting that the content industry will have to put checks and balances in place. For instance, if it’s AI-generated content as opposed to human-generated, people should not be able to upload it till they accept a tag that it’s AI generated. Beyond legal considerations, quality control is another factor. She stresses that human intervention is still necessary to ensure quality and that AI is unlikely to replace human roles entirely due to its inability to produce “perfect answers to our questions”.
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