The Indian government in partnership with YouTube will train 15,000 content creators and media professionals for free under the National AI Skilling Initiative, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced. The Indian government in partnership with YouTube will train 15,000 content creators and media professionals for free under the National AI Skilling Initiative, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced.(PIB) Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw today announced that the government will train 15,000 content creators and media professionals for free under the National AI Skilling Initiative, in partnership with YouTube.
In an official release on PIB, the ministry said that Vaishnaw launched three major initiatives aimed at strengthening India’s media, broadcasting and digital sector and promoting the creative economy. All the three below are part of what the Centre calls the ‘Orange Economy’:
The National AI Skilling Initiative in partnership with Google and YouTube through the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), MyWAVES, a citizen creator platform on WAVES OTT; and Rollout of Advanced Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) and in-built satellite tuners in television sets for enhancing access to DD Free Dish services. ‘Empowering Creators Through AI’ Speaking about the partnership’s impact on creators, Gunjan Soni, MD — India, YouTube in the statement felt that artificial intelligence has the potential to open up remarkable opportunities for India’s dynamic creative economy.
“Through our collaboration with the I&B Ministry and IICT, we aim to equip creators and professionals with the skills required to master the tools of the future, leverage AI to tell more compelling stories, expand their reach to new audiences, and play a role in shaping the future of media. This initiative reflects our continued commitment to a ‘Digital India’ where technology serves as an enabler for all,” Soni stated.
National AI Skilling Initiative: What we know The I&B Ministry, in partnership with Google and YouTube, on 23 March announced a National AI skilling initiative to train 15,000 participants from the creative and media sectors. It is aimed at strengthening AI capabilities in areas such as animation, visual effects, gaming, comics (AVGC) and media technology. The AI skilling programme will be conducted in two phases and is being implemented through IICT. Phase I, from 23 March to 30 June, 2026, will focus on foundational AI learning at scale through Google Career Certificates and Google Cloud Generative AI learning paths. Participants will undergo courses such as AI Essentials, Prompting Essentials, Introduction to Generative AI, and Generative AI Leader Path. Successful completion of this phase will be mandatory for progression to the next stage. Phase II, to be conducted from July to December 2026, will focus on advanced, hands-on and project-based specialization for the creative industry. The curriculum will include modules on the art of storytelling, YouTube best practices, and advanced training using AI tools such as Gemini 3, Nano Banana, Veo, and Vertex AI. The training will be conducted in major cities across the country. “The initiative will support creators, media professionals, students and developers in building future-ready skills and contribute to India’s emergence as a global hub for digital content and innovation,” the ministry statement said.
Promotion of Orange Economy: What is it? The ministry added that its efforts as part of a commitment to promote the ‘Orange Economy’, strengthening public broadcasting along with improved accessibility, and building an AI skilled, future ready workforce for the media and entertainment sector.
Prasar Bharati continues to play a key role in improving public broadcasting, while IICT will drive the AI skilling programme for the creative sector, and WAVES OTT will provide a platform for citizen participation and content creation including dovetailing of the Create in India challenge.
Notably in Budget 2026, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted the ‘Orange Economy’ which comprises creative sectors including animation, design, gaming and live entertainment. The Economic Survey 2026 also noted that creative fields could potentially drive employment, tourism and urban services.
Key Takeaways
The initiative aims to train 15,000 content creators, enhancing skills in AI and digital media. Partnership between the government and YouTube signifies the importance of technology in creative sectors. The program supports the broader goal of promoting the ‘Orange Economy’, focusing on creative industries. About the Author Jocelyn Fernandes
Jocelyn Fernandes is a journalist and editor with nearly 13 years of experience covering the business, corporate, economy and markets beats in news.
As chief content producer for around three years at Livemint (Hindustan Times), Jocelyn publishes breaking stories, explainers, features and live blogs on a range of business and economy topics, including the Budget, corporate developments, stock markets, income tax, money and personal finance, cryptocurrency, government policy, impact of US tariffs, international developments and more.
Jocelyn’s writing philosophy is focused on delivering news in an accurate and accessible format for readers. She thus focuses her news coverage on explainers and FAQs in order to breakdown business, corporate, economic, and policy topics that are of importance to everyday readers.
She holds a Bachelors in Mass Media (BMM) and Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) in Journalism and Communication and has previously written for online business and markets news site Moneycontrol (Network18), Business-to-business (B2B) trade publications — the industry magazines Power Today and Solar Today (ASAPP Media), and the national news agency United News of India (UNI).
Outside of work, Jocelyn keeps up-to-date with local and international news, enjoys reading fiction books, novels and short stories, and enjoys movies, travelling and art.
She can be found on X and LinkedIn, and reached by email: jocelyn.fernandes@htdigital.in
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