India, Aug. 14 -- Last week, I received a WhatsApp message from the office of Punjab's newly appointed industry minister Sanjeev Arora. It was an appointment letter to the film media committee, one of the many sectoral panels set up by the state government. I couldn't attend the subsequent convocation, but the timing of such an initiative couldn't have been more apt. Our startup is on the verge of a breakthrough: Creating the world's first full-length feature film using artificial intelligence, the reason I would have been made a member. I have no formal background or experience in traditional filmmaking, but one truth is evident, globally, the film industry has thrived on subsidies. Filmmakers have historically gravitated towards destinations offering the most generous incentives. This time, however, the story could be very different. Whether it's our startup or another global player that achieves this first, disruption in filmmaking is imminent and the use of AI in filmmaking will be a norm and will only keep growing. This will fundamentally alter the economics of cinema and the subsidy and traditional infrastructure structures that sustain it, shifting advantage to those who can think and act with speed and understanding of the curve of technology. Disruption, by its very nature, brings opportunity. Yet such opportunities are only seized by governments and individuals willing to move decisively. Sadly, Punjab has too often let such moments slip away, lost to nepotism, bureaucratic and political inertia, and the lure of optics over substance. Meanwhile, the UAE is already positioning itself to harness this new wave, the third great disruption after industrialisation and the internet: Artificial intelligence in entertainment. Punjab must view AI through this lens and act without delay. The state missed the transition from agriculture to technology during its turbulent phase. Today, however, it has the infrastructure in Mohali and the rapidly emerging New Chandigarh to take a bold leap. My proposal: The creation of a Punjab AI Film City (PAIFC). This should be a purpose-built hub with a core campus housing essentials such as a GPU power bank for high-intensity AI rendering, facilities for AI studios, an AI academy to train the next generation of talent, and an annual AI film festival to draw international attention among other things. The state government has already indicated that it cannot offer conventional subsidies, but in my opinion it can create an innovative incentive framework. Of rebates on production costs, software, tech tax breaks, and even salary enhancements for hiring local talent. The traditional concept of a "film city" is obsolete, a relic that now serves little purpose beyond real estate speculation by people well entrenched in this business. Punjab has the chance to pioneer the next generation of filmmaking hubs if it chooses vision over delay and substance over showmanship. Intelliflicks Studio, today regarded as a global leader in AI-driven filmmaking, is a Punjab startup, deliberately registered in the state by my co-founder, Gurdeep S Pall, former vice-president of Microsoft, and myself. One of the main reasons for doing so was to ensure that, should we succeed in achieving this breakthrough, it would be recognised as a Punjab success story. Unfortunately, Punjab has yet to master the art of harnessing its finest talent, often entangling them in needless bureaucracy and political theatre, thus making them shy away from engaging. Even though we are operating from a garage at present, I can see the potential for a global AI filmmaking hub. For example, I turn down at least two or three offers a day from people around the world wanting us to make films for them, especially mythological ones. Every major OTT platform has already held exploratory meetings with us to understand tech. The point I wish to impress is this: The iron is hot. AI filmmaking represents the high end of the value chain, far beyond the IT-enabled services India embraced in earlier decades. If Punjab recognises its strategic position and moves now, it could establish itself as the command centre for this new creative revolution. The choice is stark, lead the change, or watch it happen elsewhere....