Digital
Noida Film City to build world’s biggest creator incubation hub
NOIDA: Noida Film City is gearing up for its biggest close-up yet. Backed by the vision outlined in the Union Budget 2026, the upcoming development will house what is being billed as the world’s largest integrated incubation and lab ecosystem for content creators, putting India firmly in the global creative spotlight.
Designed as a one-stop destination for modern storytellers, the initiative aims to move creators beyond classrooms and workshops into real careers. Filmmaker Boney Kapoor, who has spoken about the project, describes it as a place where talent can be nurtured, intellectual property can be built, and ideas can grow into scalable creative businesses with global reach.
Set within the Bayview Bhutani Film City in Noida, the ecosystem will bring together an eclectic mix of creators. From filmmakers and OTT showrunners to YouTubers, gamers, musicians, podcasters and digital-first storytellers, the space is meant to spark collaboration across formats and platforms. Long-form cinema will sit comfortably alongside vertical dramas, short-form series and experimental digital content.
The Film City itself promises serious production muscle. Plans include cutting-edge studios, advanced technology hubs, structured incubation labs and mentorship from industry veterans and cinematic legends. Add visually striking locations and a campus-style setting, and Noida is positioning itself as a destination where ideas can be conceived, produced and monetised under one roof.
Beyond the glamour, the project aligns closely with the government’s Make in India and Viksit Bharat ambitions. It is expected to generate employment, attract international attention and give India’s fast-growing creator economy a powerful new engine.
For Noida Film City, this is more than an expansion. It is a statement of intent. Lights on, cameras ready, creators welcome.
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.
