Govt to launch ‘Create in India’ mission soon: Ashwini Vaishnaw

India’s creator economy has the potential to grow from ₹1.3 lakh crore to nearly ₹1.7 lakh crore and generate up to 4 lakh new jobs in the coming years, with the government preparing to launch a flagship “Create in India” mission to position the country as a global hub for content creation and creative talent, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said at the opening day of the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.

Speaking during a fireside conversation with Motion Picture Association chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin, Vaishnaw laid out a policy-driven roadmap focused on jobs, copyright protection, AI guardrails and nationwide creator skilling.

The session ‘Rewarding Our Creative Future in the Age of AI – Strengthening India Through Innovation, Trust and Talent’ was organised by the Motion Picture Association in partnership with FICCI, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and Creative First.

Vaishnaw said the government would soon be launching the Create in India mission, describing it as “very industry-oriented, very employment-oriented and future-oriented.” The initiative will focus on strengthening existing capabilities, making India the most preferred global platform for creation, and building a future-ready talent pipeline for the next 25 years.

“Technology and the creative world are growing together in harmony and synergy. Today’s creative world needs technology, uses technology and technology has multiple applications where the creator economy is one of them,” the minister said.

He highlighted that India’s film, television and streaming ecosystem already generated ₹1.3 lakh crore in gross output and supported 26 lakh jobs last year, with 7% growth expected to continue. The sector could reach ₹1.7 lakh crore in the next few years, adding 3–4 lakh new jobs, he said.

A major focus of the minister’s remarks was the need to balance innovation with strong intellectual property protection. He stressed that traditional regulation alone cannot address the challenges posed by AI models trained on massive datasets.

“For such complex problems, we have to have techno-legal solutions,” Vaishnaw said, explaining that policies must combine legal frameworks with technical guardrails embedded in AI systems. He added that India is already engaging with ministers from more than 20 countries to build global consensus on copyright and AI governance.

The minister also warned about the risks of misinformation and deepfakes. “Misinformation, disinformation and deepfakes are attacking the foundation of our society,” he said, stressing that governments, social media platforms, AI developers and creators must work together to ensure technology strengthens trust rather than eroding it.

Highlighting investments in the creator talent pipeline, Vaishnaw pointed to the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), which was announced during the WAVES Summit and whose first campus was inaugurated within months. According to him, industry feedback suggests the institute already houses some of the most advanced laboratories in the world.

He also referenced announcements made in the Union Budget, including plans to set up content creator labs in 15,000 schools and colleges across the country. Students will gain access to world-class tools through industry partnerships, similar to earlier initiatives that brought semiconductor tools to 315 universities and 5G labs to 100 universities.

“Human creativity is the most important thing we have in our civilisation. AI should complement creativity and not compete with it. There should be more of a complementing impact on human creativity, job creation and the entire talent pipeline,” Vaishnaw said, emphasising that the convergence of technology and entertainment will drive long-term growth for India’s creator economy.