Bhumi Pednekar Calls for AI to Lower Filmmaking Costs & Boost Representation at WEF

By: WE Staff | Monday, 20 January 2025

·  Pednekar highlighted AI's potential to democratize filmmaking and help marginalized groups.

·  She shared how Toilet Ek Prem Katha addressed open defecation and sparked change in India.

·  She advocated for AI to reduce costs and promote inclusive, safe filmmaking.

One of the five young global leaders Pednekar, asked for a transformative idea for a better world in 2025 and stated that AI has the potential to democratize filmmaking, expand access to educational films, and improve the industry for marginalized groups.

Pednekar is here to participate in the WEF Annual Meeting that will continue till January 24, Along with several others named 'Young Global Leaders' by the World Economic Forum for helping improve the state of the world.

As an example, she cited her 2017 film Toilet Ek Prem Katha (Toilet, A Love Story), which tackled the issue of open defecation (ODF). The film, she explained, used a comedic and romantic tone to address themes such as how the lack of sanitation creates gender disparity, puts women at risk, and leads to health hazards due to the absence of indoor plumbing.

On the WEF blog, she wrote "The film became a catalyst for change in India and was used as part of the government’s campaign to eradicate ODF,"

As an easy-to-understand educational tool, The film was used across rural India, where the problem primarily existed.  The proportion of the population defecating in the open declined significantly from 2016 to 2022, following government efforts and the film's release, she said in her response. She pitched for advances in technology and visual effects to help such stories become more impactful.

She said, "Imagine showing the same film but modified by AI for global audiences, ensuring the message resonates across languages and regions, As an actor and an advocate for equality, I’m most excited about how AI is going to democratize storytelling. I have chosen roles that challenge prevalent beauty standards and center on women and marginalized groups like the LGBTQ community. But there are still too few films made with the female gaze or telling queer stories,"

Pednekar stated that due to high costs and so-called market risks, studios avoid investing in such films. but AI can change that with lower costs and a shorter filmmaking process. AI can make female-centric films a sustainable business model and also help make the industry safer for women and marginalized groups by automating unbiased casting processes and identifying patterns of misconduct.

"And tools could even assist in determining an individual's fair and impartial compensation," she said.