Lisa Nandy, UK Secretary of State for DCMS, emphasized the cultural bridge between India and the UK. She announced a Bilateral Cultural Federation Agreement to strengthen ties across cinema, museums, and performing arts
FinTech BizNews Service
Mumbai, May 1, 2025: YouTube CEO Neal Mohan announced a Rs 850 crore investment to accelerate India’s creator economy, citing over 15,000 Indian channels with more than 1 million subscribers.
Mohan underlined YouTube’s role in taking Indian stories global. “India isn’t just leading in music and film—it’s now a Creator Nation,” he said.
Neal Mohan was joined by global creators Mark Rober and Gautami Kawale (Slayy Point) in the discussion. Kawale shared how regional Indian content, when rooted in culture, has universal appeal, while Rober spoke about the power of STEM content crossing borders through AI-enabled dubbing and localization.
“The Business of Influence”, moderated by YouTube’s Gautam Anand, showcased creators like Chef Ranveer Brar, ChessTalk’s Jeetendra Advani, and Japanese YouTuber Mayo Murasaki. From chess to agriculture, they demonstrated how digital platforms are taking Indian knowledge global while preserving cultural authenticity.
AI and Creativity: Adobe and NVIDIA Chart the Future
Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe, highlighted India's emergence as a global hub of creativity powered by digital tools and generative AI. With over 100 million content creators and 500 million OTT consumers, Narayen described India as “the world’s next creative superpower.” He showcased Adobe’s Firefly AI models and stressed ethical AI, content authenticity, and creator attribution as vital for sustainable growth.
In a fireside chat, Richard Kerris and Vishal Dhupar of NVIDIA explored how AI is revolutionizing the creative pipeline—allowing content to be generated, localized, and personalized at scale. “India has long exported talent. Now it can export culture,” Kerris declared, emphasizing AI’s ability to amplify regional voices and transform India into a storytelling giant.
WPP and the Advertising Renaissance
Mark Read, CEO of WPP, described the advertising industry’s $1 trillion global footprint and its shift towards AI-led storytelling. He unveiled WPP’s open video production platform and shared a campaign featuring Shah Rukh Khan to demonstrate hyper-personalized content creation using motion AI. “AI is not replacing creativity—it is expanding it,” Read said, outlining the role of MSMEs and digital tools in democratizing access to quality advertising.
Global Collaboration: UK-India Cultural Pact
In a keynote that blended diplomacy and personal heritage, Lisa Nandy, UK Secretary of State for DCMS, emphasized the cultural bridge between India and the UK. She announced a Bilateral Cultural Federation Agreement to strengthen ties across cinema, museums, and performing arts. “From Manchester to Mumbai, we must empower the next generation of storytellers,” she urged, citing the legacy of figures like Sophia Duleep Singh and modern UK-Indian creatives.
Panel Highlights: AI, Culture, and Influence; Two panel discussions deepened the discourse:
“India M&E @100: The Future of Media and Entertainment” featured leaders from Eros Now, Jetsynthesys, and GroupM. They emphasized that India is in the fourth wave of disruption, where AI-led IP creation and Gen Z consumption patterns are reshaping the industry.
