What happened
JioStar India Vice Chairman Uday Shankar stated India can double its sub-2 per cent share of the $3 trillion global media market to 4 or 5 per cent through AI adoption. Speaking at the AI Impact Summit 2026, Shankar argued India lacks the legacy liabilities and legal paralysis currently constraining Hollywood's AI integration. He called for developing AI-native creative talent and warned against importing Western regulatory frameworks, advocating instead for policies tailored to accelerate domestic growth and establish inclusive revenue models.
Why it matters
For global investors and tech founders, Shankar’s stance signals a deliberate strategy of regulatory arbitrage. Because Indian conglomerates face fewer legacy copyright constraints than Western counterparts, they can deploy generative AI across production pipelines faster. This aligns with massive recent capital inflows, including Adani's $100B AI commitment and Blackstone's infrastructure funding this month. As Microsoft warns of a global AI compute divide, India is positioning its lack of legacy baggage as a structural advantage to capture global market share.
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