MAM
FedEx extends PGA Tour sponsorship by five years
MUMBAI: The PGA Tour and FedEx Corp. announced a five-year extension of the shipping giant‘s umbrella sponsorship of the FedExCup, effective 2013 through 2017.
The FedExCup, which fundamentally changed the PGA Tour structure by introducing a season-long competitive and promotional platform in 2007, will continue to offer $35 million in total bonus money to players based on their finish in the points standings, including $10 million to the winner.
Beginning in 2013, the four-tournament PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedExCup will be officially called the FedExCup Playoffs.
“Since its inception in 2007, the FedExCup has transformed the competitive landscape on the PGA Tour and significantly benefitted all of our stakeholders,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem. It makes every FedExCup event more meaningful, adding substantial value to our tournaments, title sponsors and television partners. Most importantly, the FedExCup offers our fans more ways to engage in our sport and get excited about our players week in and week out.”
FedEx has built advertising and promotional campaigns around its sponsorship of the FedExCup as well as creative activation surrounding the Playoffs. As part of the extension, FedEx will continue to advertise in PGA Tour telecasts and other media outlets and become further integrated into the PGA Tour‘s digital and global endeavors. FedEx also plans to continue its business-building initiatives at tournaments in key markets.
In addition to the FedExCup, longstanding involvement with FedEx and the PGA Tour dates back to 1986 when it became title sponsor of the FedEx St. Jude Classic. FedEx announced last May an extension of its tournament sponsorship through 2014.
FedEx expanded its involvement with the PGA Tour in 2002 by becoming an Official Marketing Partner and then added the FedExCup in 2007 with the original six-year agreement.
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.
