We are moving towards an AI revolution: MA Nishad

The AI-generated promotional song Eyes On The Prey from MA Nishad’s upcoming film Lurk has drawn attention for being created entirely using artificial intelligence. The song, the filmmaker says, was conceived as a way of connecting with younger audiencesExcerpts from an interview with the director:‘Human emotions should still be captured live’While acknowledging AI’s growing influence, Nishad says he remains cautious about its role in creative expression.

“We are moving towards an AI revolution. But I am not a big AI fan. Human emotions should be captured live,” he says.Drawing a comparison with theatre, he adds, “A stage performance is a divine form of art. The distance between the actor and the audience is only a hair’s breadth. Even in cinema, despite all the technical possibilities, emotions are conveyed authentically. AI still has limitations in that regard. Somewhere in our subconscious, we know it is artificial.

Perhaps that may change in the future, but not yet.”‘We wanted to reach younger audiences’Explaining why he used AI for the song, Nishad says “I felt we needed to adapt to the times and communicate the film’s message to the younger generation. AI offered a way to do that. Once audiences realised it was connected to a film about man-animal conflict, the engagement increased significantly,” he says. He adds,"AI has tremendous potential, and in some ways, our use of it is ahead of its time.

To be frank, the commercial value of this is still feeble.

"‘Everyone was informed beforehand’According to the director, there was little resistance from the team regarding the use of AI. “I informed everyone, including Jassie Gift, right from the beginning that I envisioned it as an AI-generated song. They were all willing to embrace the idea,” he says. He credits AI specialist Vino Vikraman for bringing the project to life. The song features lyrics by Jubin Jacob and music composed by Prakash Alex .‘We ensured the process remained legal’Addressing concerns about ethics and copyright, Nishad says the team took steps to ensure everything was done legally. “We purchased the required tools and licences. Vino maintained a complete purchase record. Whether it was a tiger, an elephant or any other element used in the video, everything was sourced legally from the parent companies. We also obtained prior consent from all the artistes involved,” he says.