As AI becomes more deeply woven into our digital experiences, we’re witnessing a cultural shift—from passively consuming content to actively co-creating it. Tools like AI-powered face swaps, hyper-personalisation, and voice-video synthesis have moved beyond novelty; they are now redefining fandom, storytelling, and how we preserve digital memories.
Around the world, platforms are merging entertainment, self-expression, and legacy-building—creating new avenues for identity and creativity to flourish, particularly among Gen Z and first-time internet users in India.
Enter i an AI-powered social media platform headquartered in Thane that combines creativity, community, and digital legacy. From HD face swaps and multi-face videos to interactive family trees and fandom experiences, i empowers users to craft expressive, personalised content that reimagines digital identity.
i reports crossing 1 lakh users on iOS, with Android adoption steadily rising. To date, users have created over 10 million content pieces, with strong traction in 25+ Tier II and Tier III cities. Recent feature rollouts include multi-face video swaps and Family Tree legacy formats. The platform is now preparing to launch its next big innovation: i-films, which will blend AI, OTT-style storytelling, and short-form creativity into a new genre of social entertainment.
Medianews4u.com caught up with Kapil Agarwal founder, CEO i
Q. What gap was seen in the market that led to the creation of an AI-powered social media platform i?
We noticed that creative fatigue content had become mechanical, driven by trends and algorithms, not emotion. People were posting more but feeling less connected to what they shared. We saw a clear need for a space where technology could enhance personal storytelling, not overshadow it. That’s how i was born, the desire to bring individuality and meaning back to content creation. Our goal was to provide people with tools that simplify creativity without losing authenticity.
Whether it’s reliving a family moment, building a digital legacy, or expressing fandom in your way, i lets users create deeply personal content, not just performative.
Q. Could you talk about how it blends creativity, community, and digital legacy through the use of AI?
i sits at the intersection of emotion and technology. Our AI tools like face swaps, digital family trees, and filters aren’t just for fun — they’re designed to help users tell personal stories more expressively. Community is built into the fabric of the app, whether it’s through Friends Adda, fandom spaces, or shared family moments.
What ties it all together is digital legacy, helping people preserve and share memories that actually matter. With AI handling the technical complexity, users can focus on their narrative. It’s not about going viral — it’s about creating content that stays relevant years down the line.
Q. Is the main focus of i Tier Two and Tier Three cities and Gen Z in 2025?
Yes, and not just as a target, but as our core community. We believe that the next big wave of creativity is coming from India’s non-metro cities. Gen Z in these regions is expressive, rooted in culture, and looking for platforms that speak their language. That’s where i fits in. We’ve built the app to be voice-first, low-friction, and highly personalised, so even first-time users can create with ease.
Today, over 25 Tier Two and Three cities are already using i and we’re just getting started. We aim to become the go-to storytelling app for young creators across Bharat.
Q. What is the business model of i? How is it being fine-tuned?
While we started with user engagement and content creation, monetisation is now being built thoughtfully. We’re introducing tools like ticketed live events, micro-subscription creator channels, and an AI-powered brand collaboration engine, all aimed at helping creators earn while staying authentic. What we’re fine-tuning is the balance: keeping the experience intuitive while making monetisation seamless.
We’re not here to just chase ad revenue. We’re here to empower users to build sustainable creative ecosystems where income, recognition, and community support go hand in hand.
Q. The aim is to make creativity accessible for everyone, regardless of whether or not they are tech-savvy. What is the big challenge in ensuring this?
Many of our users are first-time content creators; they’re not editing pros, but they have stories to tell. We had to build i in a way where creativity feels natural. That meant intuitive design, voice-first tools, and relevant templates.
We also focus on reducing friction, for example, our face swap technology is edge-optimised, so it works quickly even on mid-range devices. At every step, we ask: Can someone with no editing background create something beautiful in minutes? That’s our real benchmark.
Q. Could you shed light on its upcoming i-films platform, which brings together OTT, AI, and short-form creativity? Is i tying with broadcasters, OTT platforms for this?
Think of i-films as a Social OTT layer where users not only watch content but also interact with it, share it on i, and earn referral bonuses. It’s short-form, story-led, and culturally rooted. The idea is to give users a space where their creativity becomes part of the content experience.
We are in early conversations around content partnerships. Still, the larger vision is to create a homegrown content ecosystem that doesn’t just borrow from OTT but builds a new format entirely — one that’s interactive, intelligent, and deeply personal.
Q. Are digital content consumers becoming co-creators? What trends are being seen?
Absolutely. Today’s digital users don’t just consume, they participate. They want to remix, react, and reimagine. What we’re seeing is a shift from passive watching to active storytelling.
Features like face swaps, family trees, and personalised edits have turned every viewer into a potential creator. In Bharat, especially, Gen Z users are reshaping content formats, they prefer bite-sized, regional, and emotionally relatable content. The lines between creator and consumer are blurring fast, and platforms that offer tools for both will define the future.
Q. How are tools like AI face swaps, deep personalisation, and voice and video AI shaping the future of fandoms, storytelling, and digital memory?
We’re in a phase where people don’t just want to watch content—they want to be part of it. AI tools like face swaps, voice modulation, and hyper-personalised videos are making that possible in ways we couldn’t imagine a few years ago.
For fans, it’s no longer just about following someone; they want to live those stories, and put themselves in their favourite scenes. And when it comes to memories, AI is helping people reimagine old moments, almost like flipping through a photo album that talks back. It’s incredibly personal, and that’s where the magic lies.
Q. Why is digital legacy, through tools like Family Trees, gaining cultural relevance among young users?
i’s Family Tree feature comes in, it’s visual, interactive, and shareable. It turns stories from your grandparents into living timelines, not dusty albums. In an age where everything is fleeting, there’s something powerful about preserving and celebrating where you come from.
For many, it’s not just nostalgia, it’s identity. And the more personal tech becomes, the more relevant digital legacy will be.
Q. In the coming three years how will AI help users of social media forge meaningful connections?
AI will stop being a backend feature and start becoming a co-creator. We’ll see tools that intuitively help users express themselves, from auto-generating memory videos to voice-enabled storytelling in their native tongue. Personalisation will go deeper, enabling content that feels handcrafted for you and your circle.
AI will also make interactions smarter, recommending whom to connect with based on shared memories, interests, or even emotional tone. But the real power lies in emotional intelligence, helping users move beyond superficial likes and filters to real, resonant digital bonds.
Q. How is AI transforming the advertising landscape by creating immersive experiences that resonate?
AI is pushing ads to become stories. Instead of one-size-fits-all campaigns, we now have personalised ad journeys, where a user sees content that reflects their mood, taste, or cultural context.
At i, we’re exploring formats where creators can embed brand narratives into their own stories, making ads feel organic and authentic. AI also helps brands collaborate more efficiently — matching them with the right creators, voice tones, and content styles. It’s less about pushing a product, and more about fitting naturally into the user’s world. That’s where the real impact lies.
Q. At the same time, is too much reliance on AI a challenge where sameness in content emerges?
Yes, that’s a real risk. When everyone uses the same templates or voice mods, content can start to feel monotonous. That’s why at ‘i’, we don’t just hand over tools, we encourage ownership. With every template, we’re also building more adaptive models that evolve with user behavior and taste.
The goal is to avoid uniformity by giving users the freedom to remix, reinterpret, and personalise. AI should be a brush, not a stamp it should empower people to create their own style, not copy someone else’s.
