AI tools will ultimately give you creative freedom: Namit Malhotra

Says can we make a biopic of an actor, of a sports person, or a big political leader, without having to put a standard actor and use the AI to create the actual personality?

Brahma, an artificial intelligence (AI) firm, was created in 2024 by London-based visual effects major DNEG with $200 million raised from UAE's United Al Saqer Group. On Tuesday, Brahma announced the acquisition of another London-based AI firm, Metaphysic. The United Al Saqer Group will invest another $25 million in Brahma. DNEG, a winner of seven academy awards (Dune, Inception etc), is a subsidiary of Mumbai-based Prime Focus. It posted a revenue of ₹3,951 crore during the financial year ending March 2024. Vanita Kohli-Khandekar spoke to Namit Malhotra, founder of Prime Focus and CEO, DNEG, over Zoom. Edited excerpts:

 

What is the rationale behind the deal?

 

We have known each other for two-three years. We worked on a film Here by Robert Zemeckis', where Metaphysic did the de-aging of Tom Hanks (to make him look 25) and we did all the visual effects. We saw the benefits of what they were developing. We are creating a spin-off of all different technology pieces we have accumulated over the last 25 years. This is the entire DNEG visual effects set in technologies, Clear AI technology we developed for content management and distribution and the tech we acquired called Ziva last year, which also won the SciTech Oscar this year.

 

Was Ziva a Brahma acquisition?

 

It was our acquisition, which has now been put into Brahma, which is the new home for all the technologies together. And, leveraging Metaphysic’s AI in digital humans capability, coupled with Ziva, Clear and the DNEG toolset makes a complete stack of end-to-end technologies that can now be leveraged beyond the industries we work in. For example, the creative economy, social media and industrial design all rely heavily on audio-visual media. We can, therefore, create a much bigger business than the world we operate in.

 

Is the primary target the media industry or will you have verticals that service other industries?

 

These are tools to create; what you create is on you. You licence the tech from Brahma, whether you are a game, tech firm or an automobile manufacturer. Anybody who does audio-visual content should have access to creation tools. You can design a new car and simulate how it drives through the desert, through snow or through the mountains.

 

Are there specific examples on what is possible when you combine these firms?

 

I don't have anything specific. But today, creating digital avatars of people and activating that on social media could be a big opportunity. Suddenly, we can bring dead celebrities to life. You can do all kinds of activations in the space that we're in. The tools have to be available in the digital ecosystem powered by AI that can be cheaper, faster and better. Anything that you imagine, you should be able to create.

 

DNEG was valued at $2 billion in 2024. Post merger, Brahma is valued at $1.43 billion, just half a billion dollar short of the company it sits in. What does this mean?

 

At that time (2024), this (Brahma and the firm’s AI capabilities) was all embedded as part of the valuation. Our tech arm is now valued at a number that's almost equal to what the entire business was worth on its own. Technically, it is fair to say the valuation has almost doubled.  The value of creation to all of us is a very positive outcome.

 

What could AI do for storytelling?

 

It all comes back to what kind of story you're trying to tell. Can we make a biopic of an actor, of a sports person, or a big political leader, without having to put a standard actor and use the AI to create the actual personality? Is that application restricted to just being a movie or a TV show, or can it also be a game? There's no restriction on where the world is going to be. When Web 3 comes along, will your digital avatar sit in the digital world, and have this conversation with my digital avatar? We're already at the cusp of it. The possibility now exists. Let the creator decide the application. The tools are meant to ultimately give you creative freedom.