MAM
Cheil onboards Kaushik Datta as ECD
Mumbai: Cheil India today announced the appointment of Kaushik Datta as executive creative director. His last stint was at Leo Burnett. He was helming their New Delhi office while also managing the art and design duties for all of India. In his current role, he will report to Cheil India’s chief creative officer Vikash Chemjong.
Talking about his new role, Datta (KD) said, “I believe creativity becomes more powerful and effective when technology comes along with it, and Cheil is a great place to do that. It’s a great honour and opportunity for me. I am very excited and looking forward to doing some great work.”
Datta is an industry veteran with a career spanning more than 23 years. He has worked across a wide swath of industries, and his repertoire of clients includes marquee brands like Hutch, Seagram, LG, Bacardi, Apple, Airtel, Kohler, ThumsUp, Maaza, Limca, Minute Maid, Tinder, Fortis, Mc Donald’s, Popeyes, GM, SBI Card, GSK, Hindustan Times, Cargill, and many more.
Welcoming Datta on board, Chemjong said, “It’s exciting times for us at Cheil, not only in terms of the type of work we are trying to do but also in terms of the type of talent we are attracting, and now with Datta coming in with his talent, experience, rigor, and enthusiasm, it’s another shot in the arm for us!”
In this role, Datta’s scope of responsibilities will include upping the art and design quotient for our brands, with a special emphasis on the flagship products—the S and Z series. He will also be involved in the agency focus of thinking of ways to bring tech into our communication and add more zing to our creative product. The appointment is part of Cheil India’s endeavour to bolster its creative capabilities as it seeks to add more talent to its team.
Cheil India chief operating officer Sanjeev Jasani, said, “We are pleased to welcome Datta to the Cheil family. He is a well-known name in the industry and brings with him a wealth of experience that will help Cheil deliver the best transformational work to our clients.”
Digital
India launches nationwide AI responsibility pledge drive
MeitY and Intel India aim for Guinness record ahead of AI Impact Summit
NATIONAL: India will roll out a nationwide digital campaign on 16–17 February to promote ethical, inclusive and responsible use of artificial intelligence, as the country builds momentum ahead of the India AI Impact Summit 2026.
The initiative, led by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under the IndiaAI Mission, in collaboration with Intel India, will attempt to set a Guinness World Records title for the “most pledges received for an AI responsibility campaign in 24 hours”.
The digital pledge drive will go live at 8 am IST on 16 February, inviting citizens to commit to responsible AI practices through an interactive platform featuring scenario-based questions. Participants who complete the pledge will receive a digital honorary badge jointly issued by IndiaAI and Intel India, along with access to curated, government-led AI learning pathways.
The campaign has been designed for broad accessibility, requiring neither camera nor microphone permissions and imposing no eligibility criteria or assessment thresholds. Participation is open to students, educators, parents, government officials, public sector employees, industry professionals, startups and the wider public, with a particular focus on youth engagement.
Organisers said the initiative aims to deepen awareness around data privacy, accountability, misinformation and ethical deployment of AI technologies, reinforcing India’s push for a human-centric and trustworthy AI ecosystem.
The pledge campaign forms a central citizen-engagement pillar of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, scheduled from 16 to 20 February at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The summit will be inaugurated by Narendra Modi and will bring together global leaders, policymakers, industry experts, researchers, startups, academia and civil society to discuss AI-led development under the themes of people, planet and progress.
