Industry Odisha Bureau, Oct 16: JetSynthesys CEO Rajan Navani says India’s culture and AI can create value beyond content. He urged industry and governments to work together. Global partnerships, he argued, are central to the opportunity.
Culture Meets Commercial Opportunity
India’s media opportunity may stretch well beyond films, shows and online videos. Cultural stories could also feed intellectual property, tourism, sports and immersive experiences.
Rajan Navani, managing director and CEO of JetSynthesys, made this case on Thursday. He was speaking at the CII Big Picture Summit 2026. His argument treats India’s cultural soft power as an economic resource. Combined with artificial intelligence, he said, it could strengthen India’s role in the global media industry.
AI Narrows the Creative Gap
Navani said AI is narrowing the gap between imagination and the ability to create. He described it as a democratising technology. In simple terms, more people may gain the tools to turn ideas into content.
He added a clear note of caution, however. The creative industry, he said, must consider how to use AI responsibly. He also urged stakeholders to tackle sector challenges and set appropriate guardrails.
Beyond Conventional Entertainment
Navani sees value in linking stories with real-world experiences. Storytelling rooted in Indian heritage could help attract tourists, he said. Such experiences could, in turn, generate wider economic activity.
Intellectual property sits at the centre of this idea. A strong creative property can travel across formats, from screens to games and live experiences. Navani also highlighted the role of content in education and audience engagement.
Digital Sports Show New Formats
Navani pointed to e-simulated cricket as one example. These include shorter, five-over digital formats. Such formats, he said, could engage younger audiences and users across markets. They show how technology can change the way fans experience a familiar sport.
Institutions Build Creative Skills
Navani’s model rests on cooperation between industry, the Centre and state governments. The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) is one existing example.
Industry holds a 52% stake in the institute. The Centre owns 34%, while the Maharashtra government holds 14%. CII and FICCI split the industry stake equally, at 26% each.
IICT focuses on education, skills development, research and innovation. Its areas include animation, visual effects, gaming, comics and extended reality.
The $100 Billion Ambition
A CII white paper has set out a $100-billion ambition for media and entertainment. Navani believes the wider opportunity could be even larger. Value created where digital and physical experiences meet could exceed that figure, he said. The $100-billion mark remains an industry ambition, not current revenue.
India as a Global Partner
Navani said India must become a “super partner” to the world. That means building ties with companies and countries across markets. He linked such partnerships to India’s 2047 vision. In his view, they could strengthen India’s place in the global creative economy.
A Wider Creative Economy
Navani’s message brings culture, technology and commerce into one strategy. India’s heritage offers the stories, while AI offers new ways to tell them. Institutions such as IICT can help build the skills required. Turning that potential into lasting economic value, however, will need coordinated effort. Responsible AI use and global partnerships will shape how far it goes.
