AI is rapidly shaping the creative industries, from visual effects (VFX), animation, and video gaming to comics and extended reality (XR). India has a significant opportunity to contribute to and benefit from this transformation. As I wrote in Exploring the Metaverse, realizing this potential requires a collective effort across industry, academia, government, and the wider technology community. I’m pleased to contribute to one such initiative as part of the Super Jury for the FICCI BAF Awards 2026, evaluating entries across the XR and AI categories.

I recently had the privilege of attending XR Summit 2024 at the eXperiential Technology Innovation Center (XTIC), IIT Madras. My heartfelt thanks to Prof. Mani and his team for the kind invitation and to Thoughtworks for making all the arrangements seamless. The event was nothing short of extraordinary – a world-class summit showcasing groundbreaking advancements, with an exciting lineup of sessions led by industry pioneers and academics. The topics covered were diverse, thought-provoking, and visionary.

My book ‘Exploring the Metaverse’, is now available in stores globally, including Amazon and BPB Online. It features forewords and testimonials from a diverse group of industry leaders, adding valuable perspectives to the content. One of the most distinguished endorsements comes from Prof. M Manivannan, who leads the Experiential Technologies Innovation Center (XTIC) at IIT Madras. Prof. Mani has spearheaded innovation at XTIC and have made India proud. His pioneering work in areas like iTad(interactive Touch Active Display) and integrating haptics into virtual reality solutions is noteworthy.

Welcome to Internet 3.0, a transformative era where reality takes on new dimensions, driven by eXtended Reality (XR) at its core, along with AI, Cloud, IoT, and more. This evolution is the product of collaborative efforts involving academia, government, industry, and individuals. My book, Exploring the Metaverse, available globally, outlines this kind of collaboration as a call to action for all of us. FICCI XROS Fellowship Program Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), is the voice of india’s business and industry for policy change.

Welcome to Internet 3.0, the transformative era where reality takes on new dimensions, driven by eXtending Reality (XR) at it’s core, along with AI, Cloud, IoT, and more. This evolution would be the product of collaborative efforts involving academia, government, industry, and individuals. I recently had the privilege of participating as a panelist at an event hosted by the pioneers shaping the future of the internet. In this article, I share my insights and a summary of this remarkable event.