MAM
Sunil Gupta lectures AI’s transformative role at IAA Conversations
MUMBAI: Artificial intelligence isn’t just a buzzword anymore—it’s shaping the way industries think, act, and innovate. At the recent IAA Conversations in Mumbai, Harvard Business School Edward W. Carter professor of business administration, Sunil Gupta delved into AI’s transformative power in marketing, branding, and beyond. The event, titled ‘Marketing in the Age of AI’, was moderated by VML India CEO and an IAA Mancom member, Babita Baruah and organised in association with Harvard Business School.
The session kicked off with Gupta highlighting the disruptive nature of AI and how businesses across sectors are adapting to leverage it. “Almost every business, not just advertising, is thinking about AI and how it will affect their operations,” he noted.
He outlined three ways AI is transforming industries:
1 Augmenting and automating tasks to increase efficiency.
2 Expanding and growing capabilities with innovative tools.
3 Disrupting and experimenting, encouraging businesses to push creative boundaries.
Gupta cited tech giants like Facebook and Google, explaining their use of AI to automate ad creation, audience targeting, and budget allocation.
Gupta emphasised the unprecedented access to consumer data in today’s digital age. “It’s not just about what they buy or search for. It’s also about what they do on social media or why they contact a call centre,” he observed.
AI, he argued, offers the ability to synthesise qualitative and quantitative data to create a 360-degree view of consumers. It enables brands to map customer journeys, uncover pain points, and even predict behaviours. “AI can act as a smart research assistant, helping brands connect the dots across vast datasets,” he added.
Gupta also introduced the concept of synthetic consumers, personas created using past data to simulate market research scenarios. This approach offers quick insights at early product development stages.
Gupta didn’t shy away from discussing the hurdles of AI adoption. “The use of AI will increase competition as it lowers entry barriers, making it easier for anyone to experiment and innovate,” he said.
However, he flagged the risk of short-term thinking in advertising. “With AI’s ability to experiment and fine-tune ROI, there’s a danger that brands might focus too much on immediate results and lose sight of long-term brand building. And advertising is all about building brands,” he cautioned.
Addressing how organisations should approach AI, Gupta urged companies to embrace the technology actively. “You can’t learn to swim by watching someone else. You need to dive into the pool yourself,” he remarked.
He recommended dedicating time to understanding AI’s potential and limitations, noting that no technology has ever reduced workload—it has only shifted it. “Jobs don’t go away, tasks do. AI will eliminate non-value-added tasks, allowing professionals to focus on more impactful work,” he asserted.
On a closing note, Gupta reminded attendees of the importance of starting with the problem, not the technology. “Sometimes, we get so caught up in the technology that we forget the problem we’re trying to solve,” he said, adding that copyright and IP protection will remain critical concerns in an AI-driven world.
IAA India Chapter president, Abhishek Karnani underscored the event’s relevance, “At the India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA), we take pride in being the only body in the industry that brings together creative agencies, media agencies, and media under one roof. This year, our focus is clear—Conversations, Skilling, and Artificial Intelligence—all aimed at preparing us for the opportunities and challenges ahead.”
Organised with support from Free Press Journal as the presenting partner, the IAA Conversations event highlighted the intersection of technology, creativity, and strategy, offering a forward-looking perspective on how AI is reshaping industries.
If you are actively investing to grow your money month after month, you already understand the value of planning ahead. SIPs, long-term portfolios, retirement planning and goal-based investing all point to one thing. You are building a future with intent.
What often gets missed in this process is one foundational question. How well is the income that funds all these plans protected?
Term life insurance fits naturally into this stage of financial planning. It does not compete with investments. It supports them by protecting the income that makes long-term growth possible.
Why Income Protection Is a Core Part of Financial Planning
Every financial plan begins with income. Before money is invested or saved, it is earned.
Over time, this income is allocated across multiple needs:
● monthly household expenses
● EMIs and long-term loans
● savings and emergency funds
● investments aimed at future goals
As responsibilities increase, financial planning becomes layered. Each layer assumes income continuity. Term life insurance exists to ensure that this structure does not become fragile due to overdependence on a single income source.
It adds stability to plans already in motion rather than introducing a new objective.
What does term life insurance do?
Term life insurance provides a fixed payout to your nominee if you pass away during the policy term. The purpose of this payout is practical and clearly defined.
It is intended to:
● replace lost income for a defined period
● help manage outstanding liabilities
● support ongoing household and goal-based expenses
There is no investment or savings component. This keeps the product focused and cost-efficient, allowing individuals to opt for meaningful coverage without diverting funds meant for growth-oriented investments.
Why Term Life Insurance Complements Investing?
Investments and insurance play different roles in a financial plan.
Investments are designed to:
● grow wealth over time
● compound with consistency
● be adjusted as goals and risk appetite change
Term life insurance is designed to:
● provide financial continuity
● protect existing plans from disruption
● remain stable once put in place
Keeping these roles separate improves clarity. Investments are allowed to perform without being forced to double up as protection, while insurance quietly supports the overall structure.
Who Should Consider Term Life Insurance?
Term life insurance becomes relevant when financial planning extends beyond individual needs. This typically includes:
a) Working professionals
When income supports shared expenses or long-term plans, protection becomes essential.
b) Individuals with long-term liabilities
Home loans, education loans and other EMIs often extend over decades. Term insurance ensures these obligations remain manageable.
c) Parents planning future milestones
Education, healthcare and lifestyle goals require continuity over many years.
d) Early planners with rising incomes
Starting earlier allows coverage to align smoothly with career progression and evolving responsibilities.
How Much Coverage Should Be Considered?
Coverage should be guided by financial reality rather than affordability alone.
A well-rounded evaluation typically considers:
● number of years income needs to be replaced
● existing and future liabilities
● long-term goals already planned
● inflation and rising living costs
Many insurance companies offer options starting from 50 lakhs, 1 crore term insurance and higher. It allows individuals to choose coverage based on their income, liabilities and future plans.
How Term Life Insurance Fits Into a Long-Term Plan
Once set up, term life insurance does not demand frequent attention.
It does not require active monitoring, market tracking or performance reviews. Its role is structural rather than dynamic.
By ensuring financial continuity, it allows families to:
● stay aligned with long-term plans
● avoid rushed financial decisions
● focus on execution rather than damage control
When aligned correctly, term insurance strengthens the foundation on which investments, savings and retirement plans are built.
Choose the Right Insurance Partner
Once the need, coverage amount and role of term life insurance are clear, the final and most important step is choosing the right partner.
This decision should be based on:
● clarity and transparency in policy terms
● a strong claim settlement track record
● consistency in servicing and communication
● the ability to support long-term financial planning rather than just selling a product
Term life insurance is a long-term commitment. The partner you choose today will be the one your family relies on years down the line.
When protection is aligned with purpose and backed by a dependable insurer, term life insurance becomes a quiet but powerful part of a well-built financial plan.
