Chandigarh-based startup screens trailer of the world’s first generative AI film

Pall, CEO of Intelliflicks Studios, while showcasing the powerful new medium that seamlessly blends artificial intelligence and cinematic artistry, stated that work had already begun on the movie, with the tentative release planned around Baisakhi in 2025. “This is a moment in history, as we unveil the trailer of the first generative AI film here in Chandigarh. AI will dominate every aspect of this world and it is an incredible, exciting and significant development of the human mind. I would term it the fourth industrial revolution, which will better the quality of life of people. When the dust settles on AI, human beings can focus on creative and specialised aspects of life. AI is the most powerful thing ever invented by humans. It will transform everything in the world, including filmmaking,” said Pall, explaining how India should view AI as a powerful tool for development.

According to Khushwant, his novel Maharaja in Denims (Amaryllis) had been optioned numerous times by filmmakers, including Oscar winner Guneet Monga, who had optioned it in 2020, but the plan did not materialise. One of the main reasons was that the book spans three eras, and budgeting for such movies post-COVID had become impossible.

“AI was the way forward, and once Gurdeep shared that AI would soon make filmmaking possible, we took the plunge. We have unveiled not just a trailer, but a new era in filmmaking. Our generative AI approach has opened doors to limitless creative possibilities and will surely disrupt traditional norms, shaping a new future for cinema,” added Khushwant.

Talking about apprehensions that AI would lead to job cuts and unemployment, Pall believes that retraining of the job force will happen and in the process, we will save time and energy. The countries where the happiness index is high, he added, are those where the obsession with work is less, people spend fewer hours at work, build better relationships, and have longer vacation time.

“They focus on what fulfills them. We have to be optimistic. AI will come to us, friend or foe. India can leap ahead in AI, and should not hold back. Several aspects of AI are being worked upon, consciousness and conscience of AI, ethics and responsibility etc. But what we do know is that every domain will be influenced by AI and it will lead to the empowerment of the film industry and 2024 will be the year of the video generated by AI. There are several creative challenges that they are addressing as they move along, and with AI technology transforming at an amazing pace, we will address the issues. What is the workflow in an AI movie, is a system we are trying to build. The tools are right now esoteric and I am reading AI papers to figure many answers, and so the film will be more realistic,” added Pall.

Intelliflicks Studios, which is right now operating out of a garage, is also developing a groundbreaking AI-based toolchain to integrate cutting-edge models for image, video, language, and music in moviemaking. “This will not only set a new standard for accessible and efficient creativity in filmmaking, but it will democratise filmmaking. Everyone with a dream to make films but couldn’t due to the humongous budgets and strong cartels in the film industry will now have a chance.”

According to Khushwant, Intelliflicks will operate out of Chandigarh and is looking to build synergies for production and distribution. “Our heart is in Punjab. So we decided to launch this start-up from here.”