Tata Power's AI Christmas film: Sandeep Goyal says AI will take on far more film production than we believe

In a big move that could set a new benchmark in Indian advertising, ad agency Rediffusion has unveiled an entirely AI-generated Christmas commercial for a major brand, marking a significant milestone in using artificial intelligence into creative advertising in India.

Speaking with Storyboard18, Sandeep Goyal, Managing Director at Rediffusion, believes the project and film for Tata Power challenge the unconventional understanding of creativity and production in the advertising space.

"They've really been in denial," says Goyal, reflecting on the skepticism that surrounded AI's potential impact on the industry. "People said AI would take time to make an impact, but at Rediffusion, we were clear—everything needs to be explored and understood. Over the past few months, we've heavily invested in training our teams and upgrading our systems. When this opportunity came to create this commercial, we felt equipped to tackle it with AI."

The result, according to Goyal, exceeded expectations. "It's fabulous. Mohammed Khan even mentioned that the casting could not have been better handled by a professional casting director. The quality of every element in the film matches, if not surpasses, what we could have imagined in the real world."

This AI-driven approach not only showcases the growing capabilities of AI in producing high-quality content but also hints at the transformative future of advertising production. "AI will take on a lot more of film production than we believe," Goyal predicts.

"With enough software and the right talent, agencies can handle much of the production in-house, which will impact pricing, quality, and speed. The future of production will be faster, more affordable, and more scalable," he added.

While AI's role in creative production is rapidly growing, it also raises questions of the evolving role of creative professionals.

Goyal compares AI's influence to puppetry: "AI is intelligent, but at the end of the day, it requires a great human mind to be able to shape it and tell it what is required. So copywriters, besides writing copy, will also have to learn how to write the right prompts so that whatever is produced is in conjunction with whatever is desired."

AI can sometimes struggle with getting nuances right, such as the accurate depiction of skin tones and traditional clothing styles. "Getting the right skin tone and eye colours were some of the challenges we faced. AI's understanding of Indian nuances will improve as more Indian creators use the technology," Goyal explained.

Goyal also highlighted that while AI-generated music and voices can be indistinguishable from human-created ones, ensuring these elements feel authentic and real remains a challenge. "The moment you believe that whatever you're seeing is real and not really been created by AI is the biggest success of this entire exercise," he added.

As the commercial's success demonstrates, the blend of human creativity and AI can lead to extraordinary results.

Echoing the sentiment, Pramod Sharma, National Creative Director at Rediffusion, emphasized the importance of human intervention in the AI process. "Without the right prompts, you won't be able to move forward and enhance your creativity on AI platforms. It's much like painting on an iPad—machines can give you creativity, but you need to mould the creativity in your way and the direction you want to take it to."

Looking ahead, Sharma is optimistic about AI's potential to redefine the future of advertising. "If handled well, the future is bright. The output has become a bit easier, while it is still not that easy, but it's become a help.

He also pointed out that while AI is still in a very nascent stage, but if continued to be explored, it is going to redefine creativity if controlled nicely by humans.