Democratizing films with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help build a better future for everyone, actor and climate activist Bhumi Pednekar said.
One of the five young global leaders who were asked one transformative idea each for a better world in 2025, Pednekar stated AI has the ability to democratize filmmaking, increase access to educational films, and enhance the industry for marginalized groups.
Along with several others whom the World Economic Forum has named ‘Young Global Leaders’ for their contributions to improve the world, Pednekar is here to attend WEF Annual Meeting that will continue till January 24.
She cited her 2017 film ‘Toilet Ek Prem Katha (Toilet A Love Story)’, which addressed the issue of Open Defecation (ODF), as an example. She claimed that the film used a romantic and comedic tone to comment on various themes, ranging from the health hazards of a lack of indoor plumbing to how lack of sanitation puts women at risk and create gender disparity.
She wrote on the WEF blog, “The film became a catalyst for change in India and was used as part of the government’s campaign to eradicate ODF”.
The film served as an easily comprehensible educational tool throughout rural India, where the issue was most prevalent. In her reaction, she stated that after government initiatives and the film’s release, the proportion of population that defecates in the open declined significantly from 2016 to 2022.
She advocated for improvements in visual effects and technology to increase the impact of these kinds of stories
She stated, “Imagine showing the same film, but modified by AI for global audiences, ensuring the message resonates across languages and regions”.
She continued, “As an actor and advocate for equality, I’m most excited about how AI is going to democratize storytelling. I have chosen roles that challenge prevalent beauty standards and centre women and marginalized groups like the LGBTQ+ community. But there are still too few films made with the female gaze or telling queer stories”.
Pednekar bemoaned that studios avoid investing these kinds of films because of the expensive expenses and alleged market dangers, but AI may change that with less costs and a quicker filmmaking process.
In addition to helping to make the film industry safer for women and other oppressed groups, AI can make female-centric films a viable business model by automating impartial casting procedures and spotting misconduct trends.
She stated, “And tools could even assist in determining an individual’s fair and impartial compensation”.
In response to the same question posed to five other young world leaders, Canadian businessman Ronit Avni, the founder of social venture Localised, advocated for investing in African talent in order to create a better future.
She claimed that although there is a growing pool of highly qualified candidates, African job seekers are still underutilized, with employers frequently choosing to hire engineering and business talent from established tech hubs like India, Poland, Israel, and the US.
She wrote on the WEF blog, “Much as India has risen as a formidable engineering hub, Africa has the potential to lead the way in carbon and ESG talent”.
ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. According to Avni, in order for the continent to take advantage of this revolutionary moment, it will be necessary to make strategic investments to develop candidates’ carbon intelligence now and increase employers’ knowledge of this talent pool.
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