Goa Fest 2025: How AI is rewriting the language of visual storytelling

Delivering the keynote on Day 3 of Goafest 2025, Vivek Anchalia, Founder & CEO of Amazing Indian Stories, addressed a packed auditorium with a provocation: “AI isn’t the death of creativity, it’s its most powerful expansion yet.”

Anchalia outlined how AI is accelerating, simplifying, and expanding visual storytelling, particularly for brands and filmmakers. From previsualisation to full-fledged production, AI tools are reducing friction across creative processes.

Where traditional animatics once served as proxies for narrative clarity, Anchalia argued that AI-generated spec ads now offer more nuanced and visually rich storytelling at the concept stage. “You no longer need a 30-slide deck. One slide can do the job, mood, lighting, character, everything,” he said.

He highlighted Integrated Production Modules (IPMs) now powered by AI, as game changers, condensing what once took six hours into a matter of minutes. For advertisers, the shift is both aesthetic and economic: eliminating the need for location scouting, large crews, and logistics, AI reduces production costs without compromising quality.

Anchalia showcased his upcoming feature Naisha—a proof-of-concept film created entirely with AI, barring the music score. “From drone shots of Uttarakhand to entire mood sequences, AI did it all,” he noted. The result is a film that serves not just as art, but as evidence of AI’s scalability and narrative range.

While he acknowledged AI’s current limitations, particularly in performance-driven storytelling—he emphasized its strength in montage, mood films, and brand image pieces. “AI won’t replace the filmmaker, it will expand their reach and eliminate creative compromises,” Anchalia asserted.

In a fireside conversation moderated by Lulu Raghavan, President, APAC at Landor, Anchalia expanded on the hybrid reality of AI-powered production. While AI may streamline workflows, it doesn’t erase the need for strategy, storytelling, or cultural insight, areas where agencies continue to lead.

“AI artists are in demand, but their fees reflect expertise,” Anchalia noted, cautioning against the assumption that AI makes production costless. Raghavan echoed this, adding that agency value now lies in combining technological fluency with brand understanding.

The pair also addressed AI's limitations in sonic storytelling. While basic sound effects can be automated, music remains a human-led domain. “AI music is too flat for narrative rhythm,” Anchalia said, explaining why he chose human composers for Naisha.

On the topic of AI literacy, Anchalia encouraged self-learning: “Skip the degrees, go to YouTube, Discord, global groups. The frontier is peer-led.” While institutions like ISDI and IID are launching AI-specific curricula, curiosity remains the biggest differentiator.

They also acknowledged the industry’s uneven response to AI. “Creative leads fear job loss. Business heads see acceleration,” Anchalia observed. He pointed to directors like James Cameron exploring AI workflows as signals of a coming paradigm shift.

In her closing note, Raghavan said, “AI is still underhyped. Those who truly understand its storytelling potential will define the next creative wave.”

The session underscored a clear message: AI is not an end but an evolution of storytelling craft. For advertisers, filmmakers, and agencies alike, the challenge is no longer whether to adopt AI—but how to do so without losing the emotional and strategic anchors that define great stories.