AI Should Empower Creators, Not Replace Them, Says Dr L. Murugan at YouTube Impact Summit
Minister highlights creator economy’s contribution to jobs and GDP, calls for responsible innovation and stronger digital content ecosystem
The Impressive TimesNew Delhi, September 29: Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Dr L. Murugan called on young creators to harness artificial intelligence as a tool for innovation and empowerment while preserving constitutional values and responsible digital practices.
Addressing the YouTube Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, themed “Co-Creating Impact: India’s Digital Leadership and the Orange Economy,” Dr Murugan said the future should be about AI empowering creators rather than competing with them.
“Create with courage. Create with responsibility. Create with purpose,” the Minister told young creators, while emphasising that although technology changes rapidly, constitutional values must endure.
According to the YouTube Impact Report unveiled at the summit, YouTube’s creative ecosystem contributed more than Rs 18,000 crore to India’s GDP in 2025 and supported over 9.6 lakh full-time-equivalent jobs across the country.
The Minister also highlighted the global reach of Indian digital content, noting that more than 15 per cent of watch time on content produced in India comes from audiences outside the country. More than 18,000 Indian YouTube channels have also crossed the one-million-subscriber mark.
Dr Murugan said India’s digital transformation, supported by digital public infrastructure, affordable connectivity, startups, digital payments, artificial intelligence and digital education, was changing the geography of opportunity.
He called for a shift from consumers to creators, users to innovators and content consumption to intellectual-property creation, allowing talent from different districts, languages and communities to reach audiences worldwide.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Create in India, Create for the World,” Dr Murugan highlighted the Orange Economy and its three key pillars: content, creativity and culture.
He said creativity extends beyond entertainment and has the potential to contribute to employment, businesses, intellectual property, exports and India’s cultural influence globally.
Dr Murugan highlighted the potential of AI to assist creators in areas such as writing, translation, editing, animation, music composition, design and content distribution.
At the same time, he stressed that human imagination remains central to the creative process and called for emerging technologies to be used in an accessible, responsible and ethical manner.
The summit also witnessed the unveiling of “Create with AI” films, developed in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT).
The Minister highlighted initiatives including WAVES, IICT, Create in India Challenges, Gems of India, WAVES Bazaar, MyWAVES and Creator’s Corner, aimed at identifying, developing and connecting creative talent with markets.
He also referred to the Union Budget 2026-27 provision for AVGC content-creator laboratories in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges. According to the Minister, the industry is projected to require nearly 2 million professionals by 2030.
Emphasising that “Technology changes rapidly. Constitutional values endure,” Dr Murugan highlighted the relevance of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity in India’s digital transformation.
Referring to Article 19, which guarantees freedom of speech and expression subject to constitutional restrictions, he said the freedom to create must be accompanied by responsibility.
He also highlighted the Fundamental Duties under Article 51A, urging citizens to approach creation, sharing, verification and innovation responsibly in the digital environment.
Dr Murugan said India’s cultural heritage can reach wider global audiences through cinema, music, gaming, animation, digital storytelling, design, crafts and literature.
Addressing young creators, he said India’s languages, cultures and stories have the potential to connect with audiences worldwide and encouraged creators to draw confidence from the country’s diversity.
He said India’s future digital economy would depend not only on how technology is used but also on what the country creates with it, highlighting employment, intellectual property, global opportunities and inclusive growth as important elements of the journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047.
The summit brought together policymakers, technology leaders, creators, entrepreneurs and innovators to discuss India’s growing digital and creative ecosystem. Gunjan Soni, Country Managing Director, YouTube India; Leslie Miller, Vice President, Global Government Affairs and Public Policy, YouTube; and Senthil Rajan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, were also present.
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