The Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) has launched the AI Academy for Media and Entertainment (AIME Academy) in New Delhi. The academy was inaugurated by Information and Broadcasting Secretary Chanchal Kumar in the presence of IIMC Vice Chancellor Dr Pragya Paliwal Gaur and Google DeepMind India Senior Director Dr Manish Gupta.
The launch coincided with the completion of a 10-week AI Skills Training Programme that trained more than 110 newsroom professionals, media educators and students from over 100 newsrooms and media colleges across 23 cities and more than 10 Indian languages. Participants from Doordarshan, Akashvani, Press Information Bureau, Publications Division and IIMC received certificates at the event.
The programme provided training in Google’s AI tools, including NotebookLM, Gemini, AI Studio and Pinpoint. It was conducted under the Google News Initiative in partnership with Google, with training support from How India Lives. Participants came from print, digital, broadcast, regional and local news organisations in both the government and private sectors.
Addressing the gathering, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B Secretary) Chanchal Kumar said, “Today’s occasion is not merely a certificate ceremony. It marks a larger transition in the way Indian media institutions are preparing themselves for the future. The real question before us is not whether AI will influence media; that process has already begun. The more important question is whether our journalists, editors, media educators and public communication professionals will shape AI with confidence, responsibility and an India-centric perspective.”
He also said, “AI may be used as an assistant, but not as a substitute for editorial responsibility. It may improve speed, but not at the cost of accuracy. It may support creativity, but not at the cost of authenticity. The role of human judgement will become even more important in the AI age.”
According to details shared at the event, the programme included more than 40 hours of AI training and one-on-one mentoring for participants. It resulted in more than 170 AI-powered projects and published works, along with over 50 applications built by participants.
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