New Delhi: TV9 Network is opening a new chapter for creators who want to experiment with technology shaped storytelling. The company has launched the AI² Awards 2026, a filmmaking competition that focuses on the growing relationship between Artificial Intelligence and human imagination. It puts a spotlight on how modern tools are changing cinema without taking the artist out of the picture.
The awards have been announced at a time when AI is becoming a part of everything from writing scripts to designing full fictional worlds. Organisers say the idea is to encourage people to try new forms of expression with AI helping them build stories that may not be easy to create with traditional methods.
Awards for new age storytelling using AI
TV9 Network calls this a first of its kind initiative. The AI² Awards will invite students, independent creators and early career filmmakers to produce short projects with a mix of human creativity and AI tools. The competition is open to anyone who wants to explore new ways of narration. It covers many styles including documentaries, animations, music videos and branded content.
The announcement says the moment feels important because storytelling is now more accessible. A single creator with a laptop and AI software can animate characters or build scenes that once needed large crews and budgets. That shift may change the type of stories that reach audiences in the coming years.
Registrations open on December 8, 2025 and will run till January 31, 2026. Submissions will go through a review by a jury of filmmakers, technologists and creative leaders. This jury round is planned for Mumbai in February 2026. It is pitched as a celebration of ideas and experimentation in cinema rather than a traditional competition environment.
Winners to be honoured at WITT News9 Global Summit 2026
The timeline for the awards keeps rising in scale. Winners are expected to be announced in March 2026 during the WITT News9 Global Summit 2026 in New Delhi. The selected films will be screened in front of an audience that includes people from media, design and innovation sectors. A panel discussion on AI and creativity will also take place at the summit.
The awards try to bring attention to how filmmakers handle the mix of emotion and algorithms. An interesting line from the announcement says these projects aim to show that AI can “amplify human imagination” instead of replacing it. That is something creative communities across the world keep discussing.
A future where art and tech work together
The AI² Awards come at a time when makers everywhere are trying to understand the role of AI in artistic fields. Some creators worry about losing originality while others see it as a chance to do more with fewer limits. Many young filmmakers are already using AI to build backgrounds, improve editing and add visual effects.
The upcoming showcase in New Delhi might show the first signs of what future cinema could look like. It may not follow old rules. It may look rough or experimental. But it will reflect how creators today think about stories in a digital age.
TV9 Network’s initiative gives space to those who want to try something fresh with AI. The next big creative shift might not come from a huge studio. It could come from a student or an independent artist working on a computer late at night, building a world with just an idea and a few AI tools.