Digital
Collective Artists Network appoints Kshitij Mehta to lead Motion Pictures and Ratpack Stories
MUMBAI: Collective Artists Network is tightening its grip on original storytelling. The talent and content powerhouse has appointed Kshitij Mehta to lead its motion pictures business, alongside Ratpack Stories, its film-focused production arm under Collective Studios.
The move places Mehta, a partner at the company, at the helm of Collective’s end-to-end film slate, spanning development, literary, casting and execution. Ratpack Stories sits alongside Terribly Tiny Tales and Historyverse within Collective Studios, the group’s unified content studio housing its original IP ambitions.
Ratpack Stories has been positioned as Collective’s filmmaker-first banner, backing creator-led, commercially ambitious projects for both theatrical release and streaming platforms. Mehta’s expanded remit is to build a focused production engine that taps into Collective’s talent ecosystem while collaborating closely with the wider industry.
Announcing the appointment, Vijay Subramaniam, founder and group ceo of Collective Artists Network, said, “Kshitij has been instrumental in shaping how we think about films and long-term creative partnerships. As we build Collective Studios into a home for distinct storytelling verticals, it was important for Ratpack Stories to have clear leadership and intent. Kshitij brings both creative instinct and operational clarity to that role.”
Mehta said the focus would remain firmly on intent-led cinema. “Ratpack Stories is about backing strong voices and building films with intent and ambition. Leading motion pictures alongside Ratpack allows us to approach projects more cohesively, from talent to storytelling to execution, while staying true to the kind of work we want to put into the world.”
The appointment underscores Collective Artists Network’s broader strategy of building sharply defined content verticals under Collective Studios, each with clear leadership and creative mandate — and signals that its film ambitions are no longer experimental, but structural.
Digital
Ethical AI must benefit society, not dominate it, says WFEB chief Sanjay Pradhan at IAA event
At Mumbai event, ethics expert urges businesses and governments to shape AI responsibly
MUMBAI: Artificial intelligence may be racing ahead at lightning speed, but its direction must still be guided by human conscience. That was the central message delivered by Sanjay Pradhan, president of the World Forum for Ethics in Business (WFEB), during the latest edition of IAA Conversations held in Mumbai.
The session was organised by the International Advertising Association (IAA) and the Artificial Intelligence Association of India (AIAI) in association with The Free Press Journal at the Free Press House on 7 March. Addressing a packed audience, Pradhan called for stronger ethical leadership to ensure AI remains a tool that benefits humanity rather than one that governs it.
“Artificial intelligence has rapidly become one of the most powerful technologies humanity has created,” Pradhan said. “It is unlocking breakthroughs in medicine, science and creativity at a pace unimaginable just a few years ago.”
But he warned that the same technology carries serious risks. AI, he noted, can amplify disinformation faster than facts can travel, compromise privacy, deepen discrimination and disrupt millions of livelihoods. Referencing concerns raised by AI pioneers such as Geoffrey Hinton, often called the godfather of AI, Pradhan stressed that the real challenge is not whether AI will shape the world, but whether humans will shape it with ethics and wisdom.
Structuring his talk around four guiding questions, why, what, how and who, Pradhan introduced the audience to WFEB’s emerging AI Ethics Partnership, a global platform aimed at advancing responsible artificial intelligence. He outlined four priority concerns that demand urgent attention: disinformation, bias and discrimination, data privacy and job security.
To make the idea of ethical AI easier to grasp, Pradhan offered a simple metaphor. Ethical AI, he said, is like a three layered cake. The outer layer represents the visible value ethical AI creates for businesses and society. The middle layer is organisational culture that moves ethics from written codes to everyday practice. The innermost layer, however, is the most crucial, the conscience of individual leaders.
Drawing from Indian philosophical thought through WFEB co-founder Ravi Shankar, Pradhan noted that while artificial intelligence can reproduce stored knowledge, true intelligence is boundless and rooted in conscience, creativity and compassion. Practices such as breathwork and meditation, he suggested, can help leaders develop the calm clarity needed for ethical decision making.
The event also featured a discussion with Maninder Adityaraj Singh, chief of staff and head of innovation at Rediffusion Brand Solutions Pvt Ltd, and Yash Johri, lawyer, Supreme Court of India.
Opening the session, IAA India chapter president Abhishek Karnani, highlighted the need for industries to understand and engage with AI responsibly.
“AI has to be befriended and understood,” added Rediffusion managing director and AIAI national convenor Sandeep Goyal. “Its ethical use will determine whether it becomes a friend or a foe.”
As AI continues to reshape industries and societies, Pradhan ended with a simple but powerful call to action. Businesses, governments and individuals must work together to ensure that the algorithms shaping the future reflect human values rather than just cold logic.
