As a science fiction filmmaker, I envisioned that AI and robots would replace the spot boys first—the so-called ‘non-creative’ workers on the film set. However, when the AI revolution happened, I realised that it is, in fact, primed to replace creators themselves! I wondered if a spot boy’s tasks, like serving a glass of water on a film set, are more irreplaceable than a writer’s, who dreams up worlds, examines human conditions and conceives delicate emotions.
Four years ago, when I was mounting my first film, Cargo (currently playing on Netflix and featuring a spaceship), I encountered several financial roadblocks. One was the cost of creating the CGI for the spaceship, and the other was the expense of obtaining the one song I needed for the film. I utilised tools available today (compared to four years ago) to see what they could do. There was an app—Suno AI—into which I fed the summary of the film’s story for a track that would thematically resonate with it. It spewed out a song, whose AI lyrics are such:
Cargo hawa mein, hum chadhte jaye Aur murdon ko, hawaon se jalaaye
Aakash yatra, hamara humsafar hai Aur duniya, aaj taklifon se bhari hai
(Cargo is in the air, we keep rising We burn the dead with the wind A journey through the skies, is our companion And the world is replete with worries)
Denne historien er fra January 15, 2024-utgaven av India Today.
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Denne historien er fra January 15, 2024-utgaven av India Today.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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He gave the beat to the world
He would pick up the rhythms of each experience of mobility and weave them into his taals. Thus it was that he reflected joy and laughter in rhythmic cycles...such was the magic of Zakir's fingersText and photographs by Raghu Rai
KERALA TOURISM CAMPAIGN, 1989 - TICKETS TO PARADISE
All it took was a catchy tagline-'God's Own Country'-for the world to discover Kerala's wealth of natural beauty. It remains among the best tourism ad campaigns, earning the state a place among top 10 international destinations
SPIRITUALITY - THE GURUS OF COOL
Among the cult Indian gurus, no one had a bigger hold on western minds than 'Osho' Rajneesh. He's also perhaps the role model for the enterprise-building gurus of today
RETAIL SHOPPING - THE MALL MANIA
Shopping malls, a 1990s innovation in India, changed the way the Indian middle class shops. Their success now lies in being 'shoppertainment' destinations, offering something for everyone
CULINARY RENAISSANCE, 1978 - TANDOORI NIGHTS
ITC's Bukhara and Dum Pukht turned the world to tandoori cuisine and had an enormous impact on the F&B industry. Decades on, they are still a pit-stop for celebrities and heads of state visiting Delhi
INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH - REVENGE OF THE NATIVE
Rushdie lit the way but Indian writing in English has taken a life of its own in the past few decades, with translated Indian fiction most recently having its moment in the sun
INDIAN ART - A BRUSH WITH GOLD DUST
The 1990s economic liberalisation came as oxygen, lighting up the Indian art scene. Today, artworks by established masters routinely go for astronomical amounts
FESTIVAL OF INDIA, 1982 - CULTURE CAPITAL
The Festival of India grew into a symbol of our 'soft power', introducing our art and aesthetics to a global audience while also helping rebrand our domestic products
THE INDIPOP TREND - DISCO GOES DESI
For ages, the film song ruled. Nothing else was audible. Then came Nazia, charioteered by Biddu, and Indian ears went into a pleasant madness. Literally, Disco Deewane. A whole genre was born
SHOLAY 1975 - THE BIRTH OF THE FANDEMIC
India had seen hits before. But Sholay seared into its collective psyche like a badland bullet. The effect was on a scale never seen before- one film creating a new mass folk culture. And a trail of monster blockbusters that still continues