Whistling Woods International (WWI) has partnered with invideo to establish an artificial intelligence laboratory focused on training filmmaking students in AI-enabled production techniques. According to reports from Business Standard, the collaboration aims to equip students with practical AI skills as the media and entertainment industry increasingly adopts artificial intelligence tools. Sanket Shah, cofounder and CEO of invideo, emphasized the critical need for AI training, stating that filmmaking students require 'AI flight hours' to prepare for an industry where AI tools are becoming standard practice. Shah added that 'no one is able to find talent that has AI flight (training) hours today' and stressed the importance of hands-on AI tools training for students entering the industry.
The partnership addresses a significant skills gap in the industry, as reported by Business Standard. Shah noted that students trained in AI-enabled filmmaking would find jobs at much higher pay levels and far more easily due to the shortage of talent skilled in both filmmaking and AI. The collaboration focuses on practical applications rather than theoretical knowledge, ensuring students gain hands-on experience with AI tools that are increasingly being used in production processes. Ghai emphasized that students trained in AI filmmaking would find jobs more easily and at significantly higher pay levels due to the paucity of talent trained across the board.
The partnership operates without a commercial arrangement, as confirmed by invideo's Shah. When asked about the financial end of the partnership, Shah said 'I think at this point of time, it's just love. There is no commercial partnership'. Chaitanya Chinchlikar, Vice-President, Chief Technology Officer and Emerging Media Head at WWI, outlined performance metrics including process assessment and decision-making assessment to measure student outcomes. About user data collection from WWI students, Shah confirmed that 'it will not collect data' from the students.
The collaboration emphasizes ethical considerations in AI implementation, according to Business Standard reports. Chinchlikar confirmed the presence of six broad categories of ethical risks in AI and stated that WWI maintains an in-house doctrine for risk assessment across all categories. The institute operates on a standard AI stack rather than installing specialized graphics processing units, focusing on applied AI solutions for media and entertainment rather than developing proprietary AI models. Chinchlikar added that WWI has an internal AI team that looks at all of these categories and puts in guidelines to ensure mitigation of all risks.
Looking ahead, Business Standard reports indicate that Ghai expects 'minimalistic intervention of human beings' as technology advances. However, he maintains that AI cannot replace traditional storytelling, emphasizing that human creativity will continue to drive the entertainment industry. When asked about AI replacing traditional storytelling, Ghai said 'Never. I don't think so'. The partnership reflects the broader industry trend of integrating AI capabilities into creative production processes while maintaining human artistic control.
