MAM
Dentsu Webchutney appoints Samera Khan as EVP
MUMBAI: Dentsu Webchutney, the digital agency from the Dentsu Aegis Network, has roped in Samera Khan as EVP- Strategy and Planning. Samera will be based out of Mumbai and will report to Dentsu Webchutney CEO Sidharth Rao.
As part of her new mandate, Khan will head creative strategy and planning for the agency across its offices in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.
Commenting on her appointment, Khan said, “I am excited about this new role that I take on with Dentsu Webchutney. They have a unique way of approaching digital advertising with a spot-on understanding of culture and technology. And to partner with a distinct set of creative and strategic talent makes this even more exciting and challenging.”
Commenting on the appointment, Rao said, “Dentsu Webchutney has entered its next phase of growth and it’s absolutely essential for us that we use the right kind of partners to steer this growth forward. Samera has immense international experience along with advertising experience in India on some of the biggest brands in the world. This gives her a unique edge on strategy and understanding of the human mind. This will add to the strength that holds the Dentsu Webchutney fort together. I am extremely happy to welcome her on board.”
With more than 12 years of experience, Khan has worked with agencies including Ogilvy, DraftFCB and Havas Worldwide.
Some of the brands that Samera has worked on internationally and in India include Vodafone, Nestlé, Unilever, Volkswagen, Porsche, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, IKEA, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, The Economist, HDFC Bank, BPCL, Sanofi and Hockey India to name a few.
Digital
Ethical AI must benefit society, not dominate it, says WFEB chief Sanjay Pradhan at IAA event
At Mumbai event, ethics expert urges businesses and governments to shape AI responsibly
MUMBAI: Artificial intelligence may be racing ahead at lightning speed, but its direction must still be guided by human conscience. That was the central message delivered by Sanjay Pradhan, president of the World Forum for Ethics in Business (WFEB), during the latest edition of IAA Conversations held in Mumbai.
The session was organised by the International Advertising Association (IAA) and the Artificial Intelligence Association of India (AIAI) in association with The Free Press Journal at the Free Press House on 7 March. Addressing a packed audience, Pradhan called for stronger ethical leadership to ensure AI remains a tool that benefits humanity rather than one that governs it.
“Artificial intelligence has rapidly become one of the most powerful technologies humanity has created,” Pradhan said. “It is unlocking breakthroughs in medicine, science and creativity at a pace unimaginable just a few years ago.”
But he warned that the same technology carries serious risks. AI, he noted, can amplify disinformation faster than facts can travel, compromise privacy, deepen discrimination and disrupt millions of livelihoods. Referencing concerns raised by AI pioneers such as Geoffrey Hinton, often called the godfather of AI, Pradhan stressed that the real challenge is not whether AI will shape the world, but whether humans will shape it with ethics and wisdom.
Structuring his talk around four guiding questions, why, what, how and who, Pradhan introduced the audience to WFEB’s emerging AI Ethics Partnership, a global platform aimed at advancing responsible artificial intelligence. He outlined four priority concerns that demand urgent attention: disinformation, bias and discrimination, data privacy and job security.
To make the idea of ethical AI easier to grasp, Pradhan offered a simple metaphor. Ethical AI, he said, is like a three layered cake. The outer layer represents the visible value ethical AI creates for businesses and society. The middle layer is organisational culture that moves ethics from written codes to everyday practice. The innermost layer, however, is the most crucial, the conscience of individual leaders.
Drawing from Indian philosophical thought through WFEB co-founder Ravi Shankar, Pradhan noted that while artificial intelligence can reproduce stored knowledge, true intelligence is boundless and rooted in conscience, creativity and compassion. Practices such as breathwork and meditation, he suggested, can help leaders develop the calm clarity needed for ethical decision making.
The event also featured a discussion with Maninder Adityaraj Singh, chief of staff and head of innovation at Rediffusion Brand Solutions Pvt Ltd, and Yash Johri, lawyer, Supreme Court of India.
Opening the session, IAA India chapter president Abhishek Karnani, highlighted the need for industries to understand and engage with AI responsibly.
“AI has to be befriended and understood,” added Rediffusion managing director and AIAI national convenor Sandeep Goyal. “Its ethical use will determine whether it becomes a friend or a foe.”
As AI continues to reshape industries and societies, Pradhan ended with a simple but powerful call to action. Businesses, governments and individuals must work together to ensure that the algorithms shaping the future reflect human values rather than just cold logic.
