YRF and Google to host AI filmmaking workshop for Indian creators

MUMBAI: The next blockbuster may begin with a prompt, but Yash Raj Films wants the storyteller, not the software, to call the shots. As artificial intelligence reshapes creative industries, Yash Raj Films (YRF) and Google are bringing filmmakers together to explore how AI can support, rather than replace, the art of storytelling.

The two companies will host an AI filmmaking workshop at YRF Studios on 4 August, introducing members of India’s filmmaking and creative community to Flow, Google’s AI-powered creative studio.

The session will focus on the practical use of AI in film production, demonstrating how tools such as Flow can be integrated into existing production workflows while ensuring filmmakers retain creative control over their projects.

The workshop also marks one of the first collaborations in which Google’s Flow team will work directly with the production and creative leadership of a major international film studio. At YRF, the initiative has been extended to creative and production professionals from across the industry, with the emphasis firmly on storytelling, filmmaking craft and informed creative decision-making.

Beyond the masterclass, the programme will feature networking sessions with Google’s AI engineering and product teams, alongside optional deep-dive modules for filmmakers interested in incorporating Flow into active productions.

The collaboration reflects a growing shift within the film industry, where AI is increasingly being explored as a creative assistant rather than a replacement for traditional filmmaking. Tools capable of generating visuals, storyboards and production concepts are beginning to find a place in studios, even as creators continue to debate the technology’s impact on originality and artistic ownership.

For YRF, one of India’s largest film studios, the workshop signals an effort to engage with AI at an early stage while keeping human creativity at the heart of the process. Google, meanwhile, is using the programme to expand awareness of Flow among Indian creators, building on the growing adoption of generative AI tools in the country’s creative ecosystem.

As AI becomes a bigger part of the filmmaking toolkit, the challenge for studios is no longer whether to embrace the technology, but how to use it without letting algorithms overshadow imagination. This collaboration suggests the industry’s next act could be one where cameras and code share the same set, while the story remains firmly in human hands.