Creator's adaptability, not the technology, will be key: Prajakta Koli

Prajakta Koli was honoured with the ‘Influential Personality of the Year’ award at the e4m Indian Digital Marketing Awards (IDMA) 2025. Recognised for her trailblazing presence in the digital creator ecosystem, Koli remains one of the few Indian creators to feature on the coveted TIME100 Creators list globally.

As she took the stage to accept the honour, Koli reflected on the unpredictable and ever-evolving journey of being a content creator—especially in an era where AI tools are becoming more accessible and monetisation norms on platforms like YouTube are getting stricter.

"There's no blueprint, and that’s the beauty of it"

“If you ask me where I see myself as a creator in the next two years—I have no clue,” Koli said, laughing. “I didn’t see this happening 10 years ago when I started, so clearly I don’t know better. There’s no blueprint, and that’s the beauty of it.”

She candidly spoke about the early days of content creation being isolating, and the emotional uncertainty that comes with not having a clear roadmap. Yet, for Koli, that chaos became her creative space.

“The internet gave me that liberty—to try, fail, and try again. Eventually, that’s how I found the content space that felt right for me,” she said.

“The creator that needs to get smarter is when it’s going to be a smart assistant”

Commenting on the growing role of artificial intelligence in content creation, she said the creator's adaptability—not the technology—will be key.

“You just wing it. I don’t think there’s ever going to be a time when you know exactly what’s happening. But you have to be okay with making mistakes,” Koli said. “As a creator, you’re going to be in positions that challenge you, and you’ll have to keep adapting. There’s no option to hard work.”

She added that while tools may evolve, the creator’s job is to understand their audience better and stay rooted in storytelling. “Always know the audience is a lot smarter than you are,” she said.

Prajakta credited her success to an ongoing dialogue with her viewers. “As much as I met my audience halfway with content, I also worked on engagement from their side—to understand what’s actually working for them and what’s not,” she shared.

In a moment of light-heartedness, she added, “Just putting this out—if anyone wants to take the rights to my book and make a movie about it, I’m open. Maybe creative producer, that’s the next route we take.”