YouTube Impact Summit 2026: Dr. L. Murugan Emphasizes Role of Creator Economy and AI for Developed India

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. L. Murugan, delivered the keynote address at the 'YouTube Impact Summit 2026' held in New Delhi. The summit, themed “Co-Creating: India's Digital Leadership and the Orange Economy,” highlighted the growing role of India's digital and creative economy in boosting economic growth, employment, and global cultural reach.

According to the YouTube Impact Report released during the summit, YouTube's creative ecosystem contributed over 18,000 crore rupees to India's GDP in 2025 and helped create more than 9.6 lakh full-time equivalent jobs across the country. Dr. Murugan noted that over 18,000 Indian YouTube channels have surpassed the one million subscriber mark, and more than 15 percent of the total viewing time for content produced in India comes from international audiences.

Discussing Artificial Intelligence (AI), Dr. Murugan stated that the future should not be a situation of 'AI versus the creator'; instead, AI should become a tool to empower creators. He clarified that while AI can assist in writing, translation, editing, animation, design, and distribution, human imagination will remain at the core of creativity. He emphasized the responsible and ethical use of emerging technologies. During the summit, "Create with AI" films, developed in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), were also unveiled.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of "Create in India, Create for the World," the Minister emphasized the three main pillars of the 'Orange Economy'—content, creativity, and culture. He stated that digital technology has transformed the geographical scope of opportunities, allowing talent from every district and language to reach a global stage.

Providing details on government initiatives to promote creative talent, such as WAVES, IICT, Create in India Challenges, Gems of India, WAVES Bazaar, MyWAVES, and Creator's Corner, he mentioned the provisions of the Union Budget 2026-27. Under these provisions, AVGC content-creator laboratories will be established in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges. It is estimated that approximately 20 lakh professionals will be required in this industry by 2030.

Dr. Murugan urged young creators to remain aware of constitutional values. Citing the freedom of expression under Article 19 and fundamental duties under Article 51A, he stated that the freedom to create comes with associated responsibilities. He called for the creation of an inclusive and globally competitive creative ecosystem to achieve the goal of Developed India 2047.

Also present on the occasion were Ms. Gunjan Soni, Country Managing Director of YouTube India; Ms. Leslie Miller, Vice President of Global Government Affairs and Public Policy at YouTube; and Mr. Senthil Rajan, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.