Smalltown content creators can now play in the big leagues. All they need is AI.
Smalltown content creators without access to fancy equipment or studios are finding they can level up with their fully equipped big city rivals simply by using the right artificial intelligence tools.
Pocket FM, Kuku FM and other similar platforms streaming user-generated content are going beyond their role as distributors to equip creators with tools to write crisper narratives, polish their audio and video, and help their posts appear more professional so as to lure paying customers.
'We are building custom GPT's (generative pre-trained transformers) to put current and past data together to decide which ad or stories will perform better or what our consumers will prefer," said a spokesperson for Kuku FM, an audio entertainment platform. 'We use AI for generating scripts, thumb stops, etc., and then the GPT tells us what will work and what won't."
Kuku FM's AI model also helps content creators increase their output 'by five times, which means we can test more stories, scripts, concepts, or ideas," the spokesperson added.
Essentially, AI opens up opportunities for creators who may not have access to professional tools such as recording studios, said Dipankar Mukherjee, co-founder, StudioBlo, an AI-powered content studio.
StudioBlo works with filmmakers, brands, musicians and others to create content using AI. It recently launched a music video starring actor Ayushmann Khurrana, who sang for the video but didn't have to shoot for it as his images were generated by AI. The video has so far attracted more than 500,000 views on YouTube.
To be sure, several AI platforms offer only a few basic features for free, requiring users to pay for more advanced tools. Besides, while AI can help improve production quality and output, content creators still need to work on the storytelling and audience engagement.
Also read | These small towns are turning into growth engines for live events
How Dhananjay Bhosale uses AI
Dhananjay Bhosale, who posts content on technology-related hacks and tips on Instagram and YouTube, is seeing a massive shift in how content is being created, chiefly because of how AI is being integrated across the workflow.
'In my own work, we have started building smart, semi-automated pipelines that cut down repetitive tasks. That frees up time and budget to work on more projects, which means more opportunities for editors, illustrators, sound designers, and collaborators across the board," said Bhosale, who has nearly 620,000 followers on Instagram and more than 450,000 on YouTube.
'What used to take a full team and days of effort can now often be done by a single creator using AI tools. Whether it's writing scripts, doing voice overs, editing, or even animation and VFX (visual effects)—AI is speeding up the process across the board."
Bhosale added that media and entertainment companies are building content workflows around tools like ChatGPT for ideation, Pika and Runway for video creation, and ElevenLabs for realistic voiceovers.
'These tools don't just save time, they have made it possible for people who have never used professional software to jump in and create studio-level content," Bhosale added. 'We are at a point where it's less about having expensive gear or a big production crew and more about having an idea and knowing how to use the right tools to bring it to life."
Also read | The rise of Hollywood-style cinematic universes in southern films
Not just a streaming platform
With AI being integrated into content creations, new-age media and entertainment companies are evolving so they are no longer just content distributors but also enablers for a whole new generation of creators.
Pocket Entertainment, which runs audio streaming platform Pocket FM, has partnered with ElevenLabs to launch a feature called AI Audio Series, which lets writers turn their text stories into high-quality audio with custom voices and background music.
'On Pocket Toons (the company's webcomics app), we have introduced Blaze!, our AI-powered comic studio, which helps writers turn their scripts into professional-quality comics in minutes. It handles everything from illustration to styling, allowing creators to focus on storytelling," said Prateek Dixit, co-founder and chief technology officer.
'We are also building advanced AI tools to adapt stories for different languages and cultures, ensuring that each version feels authentic to local audiences," he added.
Munish Vaid, vice-president, Primus Partners, a management consultancy, said there has been a surge in demand for AI-generated special effects, characters, and set designs—which can drastically reduce production costs while enhancing visual richness.
Production budgets can be slashed by 30-40% by using AI to generate visuals instead of traveling to locations or employing foreign crew for shoots, Industry experts said.
But while AI tools are easily accessible, studios still need adequately trained designers and professionals to supervise and control use. As a result, according to the experts, the industry is seeing a rise in demand for AI editors, prompt engineers, voice coaches, and localisation experts.
Also read | OTT Platforms Pivot: Short, sweet shows slowly replacing long, dark dramas
The rise of smalltown studios
Content studios are also emerging across tier-two and tier-three towns, where creators are tapping into local stories and leveraging AI to go national or global. Actor Ajay Devgn and filmmaker Dil Raju recently announced AI ventures, which could also open up opportunities for smalltown professionals to find work in the film and entertainment industry.
Rahul Regulapati, founder, Galleri5, a platform for AI-powered marketing solutions, said the quality of content has improved significantly with AI, reducing barriers for the creator economy that earlier struggled with no access to professional infrastructure, including studios.
'With AI, content creation has become more accessible. Even individuals without formal training can now deliver affordable and efficient services," said Chandrashekhar Mantha, partner, media and entertainment sector leader, Deloitte India.
'New-age media and entertainment companies are embracing AI across every stage of the content lifecycle—ideation, creation, editing, and marketing," Mantha added. 'The growing suite of AI tools is making it possible to produce content faster, at lower costs, and with higher production quality."
Also read | Why star-powered movies have OTT handprints all over them
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
27 minutes ago
- News18
Varun Dhawan Urges Media To Respect Privacy During Grief: 'Everyone Looks So Uncomfortable'
Last Updated: Varun Dhawan urged the media to cover celebrity deaths sensitively. His strong note comes after Shefali Jariwala's death on Friday night. Varun Dhawan penned a strong note, urging the media to cover a celebrity's final journey with the utmost sensitivity. Though he didn't name anyone in his post, the actor's note comes right after Shefali Jariwala's death on Friday night. He also added that this isn't the way someone would want their last journey to be covered. Varun Dhawan took to his Instagram stories and directly addressed paps and the media for their coverage of Shefali Jariwala's death. He wrote, 'Again one more passing of a soul being insensitively covered by the media. I just don't understand why do u have to cover someone's grief everyone looks so uncomfortable with this how is this benefitting anyone. My request to my friends in the media this isn't the way someone would want their final journey covered." Take a look: This comes after photos and videos of Shefali's husband, Parag Tyagi, and her parents crying inconsably during the last rites were widely circulated on the Internet. Earlier today, Parag was spotted bidding his wife a final goodbye as he immersed her ashes into the sea. After Shefali's funeral, a devastated Parag appeared in front of the media and requested privacy with folded hands. He also said, 'Meri pari ke liye pray kijiyega aap sab log, please." Parag was surrounded by police personnel while he urged the media to pray for Shefali's soul to rest in peace. How did Shefali Jariwala die? Shefali Jariwala passed away late Friday night, between June 27 and 28. She was rushed to Bellevue Multispeciality Hospital in Mumbai by husband Parag Tyagi, and three close aides. She was declared brought dead. Shatrughan, the watchman of Shefali Jariwala's residential society, recounted the events that unfolded on the night of her death. He shared that Shefali was taken to the hospital around 10:30 pm on Friday. Still in shock, he remembered seeing Shefali and her husband Parag Tyagi just the evening before, casually walking their dog in the compound. 'It was just like any other day," he said, adding, 'I couldn't believe it when I heard on Friday night that she had passed away." Shatrughan, the security guard on duty, recounted the events of Friday night. While speaking with NDTV, he mentioned, 'Around 10:30 at night, Shefali ji was taken to the hospital. Before that, at around 9 PM, her husband Parag Tyagi came to the society on a motorcycle. I was the one who opened the gate." Initial reports of Shefali's death claimed she died of cardiac arrest. However, Mumbai Police stated that her body was found in her apartment and her mortal remains were sent to Cooper Hospital for a postmortem. The reason behind her death couldn't be confirmed as yet. First Published:
Mint
29 minutes ago
- Mint
Productivity puzzle: Solow's paradox has come to haunt AI adoption
AI enthusiasts, beware: predictions that the technology will suddenly boost productivity eerily echo those that had followed the introduction of computers to the workplace. Back then, we were told that the miraculous new machines would automate vast swathes of white-collar work, leading to a lean, digital-driven economy. Fast forward 60 years, and it's more of the same. Shortly after the debut of ChatGPT in 2022, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology claimed employees would be 40% more productive than their AI-less counterparts. These claims may prove to be no more durable than the pollyannish predictions of the Mad Men era. A rigorous study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research in May found only a 3% boost in time saved, while other studies have shown that reliance on AI for high-level cognitive work leads to less motivated, impaired employees. We are witnessing the makings of another 'productivity paradox,' the term coined to describe how productivity unexpectedly stagnated and, in some cases, declined during the first four decades of the information age. The bright side is that the lessons learned then might help us navigate our expectations in the present day. The invention of transistors, integrated circuits, memory chips and microprocessors fuelled exponential improvements in information technology from the 1960s onward, with computers reliably doubling in power roughly every two years with almost no increase in cost. It quickly became an article of faith that computers would lead to widespread automation (and structural unemployment). A single person armed with the device could handle work that previously required hundreds of employees. Over the next three decades, the service sector decisively embraced computers. Yet, the promised gains did not materialize. In fact, studies from the late 1980s revealed that the services sector—what economist Stephen Roach described as 'the most heavily endowed with high-tech capital"—registered the worst productivity performance during this same period. In response, economist Robert Solow had famously quipped that 'we see computers everywhere except in the productivity statistics." Economists advanced multiple explanations for this puzzle (also known as 'Solow's Paradox'). Least satisfying, perhaps, was the claim, still made today, that the whole thing was a mirage of mismeasurement and that the effects of massive automation somehow failed to show up in the economic data. Others have argued that the failure of infotech investments to live up to the hype can be laid at the feet of managers. There's some merit to this argument: studies of infotech adoption have shown that bosses spent indiscriminately on new equipment, all while hiring expensive workers charged with maintaining and constantly upgrading these systems. Computers, far from cutting the workforce, bloated it. More compelling still was the 'time lag' hypothesis offered by economist Paul A. David. New technological regimes, he contended, generate intense conflict, regulatory battles and struggles for market share. Along the way, older ways of doing things persist alongside the new, even as much of the world is remade to accommodate the new technology. None of this translates into immediate efficiency—in fact, quite the opposite. As evidence, he cited the advent of electricity, a quicker source of manufacturing power than the steam it would eventually replace. Nonetheless, it took 40 years for the adoption of electricity to lead to increased worker efficiency. Along the way, struggles to establish industry standards, waves of consolidation, regulatory battles and the need to redesign every single factory floor made this a messy, costly and prolonged process. The computer boom would prove to be similar. These complaints did not disappear, but by the late 1990s, the American economy finally showed a belated uptick in productivity. Some economists credited it to the widespread adoption of information technology. Better late than never, as they say. However, efficiency soon declined once again, despite (or because of) the advent of the internet and all the other innovations of that era. AI is no different. The new technology will have unintended consequences, many of which will offset or even entirely undermine its efficiency. That doesn't mean AI is useless or that corporations won't embrace it with enthusiasm. Anyone expecting an overnight increase in productivity, though, will be disappointed. ©Bloomberg The author is professor of history at the University of Georgia and co-author of 'Crisis Economics: A Crash Course in the Future of Finance'.
Hindustan Times
36 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Varun Dhawan slams 'insensitive' media over coverage of Shefali Jariwala's death: ‘Why do you cover someone's grief?'
Jun 29, 2025 03:45 PM IST Kaanta Laga and Bigg Boss 13 fame Shefali Jariwala died at the age of 42 on Friday night after reportedly suffering a cardiac arrest. Her final rites were performed in Mumbai on Saturday, where friends and family gathered to pay their last respects. Throughout the day, the paparazzi present were criticised for shoving their cameras into the faces of Shefali's family members and friends. Her husband Parag Tyagi even pleaded with the media to leave him alone. Now, Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan has spoken out about the 'insensitive coverage'. Varun Dhawan urges media to show compassion while covering final journey of Shefali Jariwala. Varun took to Instagram on Sunday and urged the paparazzi to be sensitive while covering the death of a celebrity. He wrote, 'Again, one more passing of a soul being insensitively covered by the media. I just don't understand why do u have to cover someone's grief. Everyone looks so uncomfortable with this. How is this benefiting anyone? & my request to my friends in the media, this isn't the way someone would want their final journey covered.' Varun Dhawan's post about insensitive media coverage of Shefali Jariwala's death. The paparazzi were seen capturing every moment of Parag and Shefali's relatives and friends who visited the hospital or their residence to offer condolences. A video of Shefali's mother crying inconsolably after learning about her daughter's death surfaced on the internet. Parag was also seen pleading the paparazzi to stop recording him and to make way for him as he arrived at Cooper Hospital, where Shefali's body was taken for post-mortem. After performing his wife's last rites, actor Parag Tyagi was seen once again requesting the paparazzi with folded hands to remember Shefali in their prayers. He said, 'Mazak, drama mat banaiyega, main sabse request karta hoon (I request everyone not to turn this into a drama). Please pray for my pari (angel). Please pray for her peace. Please aap bandh kijiyega (Please stop this now).' About Shefali Jariwala's death On Friday night, Shefali was rushed to the hospital by her husband Parag Tyagi. However, she was declared dead on arrival, as per PTI. While initial reports stated that Shefali died of cardiac arrest, Mumbai Police sent her body for a post-mortem to ascertain the cause of death. After the autopsy, a police official told the press that the cause of death had been 'reserved' and dismissed any foul play.
