At the heart of Mumbai’s World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025, India issued a bold call for a global reset, anchored in culture, creativity, and responsible technology.External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar inaugurated the Global Media Dialogue on Day 2 of the summit, urging the international community to rethink how stories are told and who gets to tell them. Jaishankar made a five-point case for redefining global engagement through innovation, tradition, and inclusion. “The world is intrinsically diverse, but this diversity has often been silenced by colonialism and major power dominance,” he said. “It’s time the global system gave voice to all traditions, ideas, and creativity.”
He stressed that India’s vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047, ‘Viksit Bharat’, must be driven by technology but grounded in cultural identity. “Modernity is not a rejection of the past. It’s a continuation built on human achievement,” Jaishankar noted, highlighting how digital tools can deepen young people’s connection to heritage while preparing them for a global digital economy. Citing the explosion of information in the digital age, Jaishankar called attention to a key resource. “The challenge is no longer access, but how to get noticed. This will be the age of creative storytelling, sports, and collaboration—and our youth must be ready for it.”
On artificial intelligence, he struck a note of caution. “AI’s potential is vast, but it brings new risks—from authenticity and misinformation to intellectual property and bias. Responsible use must be our shared priority.”
The WAVES 2025 summit, taking place at Mumbai’s Jio World Centre from May 1 to 4, has drawn more than 10,000 delegates, including global content creators, startups, and policymakers. From AI to OTT, comics to animation, the event covers the full spectrum of the audio-visual and entertainment industries.