EXCLUSIVE: Entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Highlights What Happens When Branding Meets AI

In an interaction with The Free Press Journal, we asked Biocon Founder and global business leader Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw about the meeting of branding and artificial intelligence, and also how she would compare the importance of social media and reading to get ahead in life.

On branding and AI

“A brand is not built in an instant; it is built over time. Of course, artificial intelligence can play an important role in building a brand, but it is not the only means, because a brand stands for its values and authenticity. How do you build that? AI cannot build it for you. AI can be a tool to build a brand, but I think building a brand is a much bigger strategy.”

On social media and the importance of reading

“I come from the old world where I know that reading is very important to me. Of course, I'm also a big user of social media. However, you have to learn to differentiate between the authentic social media tweets — or whatever you read on social media — and the fake or wannabe social media content out there. I think there's a lot of good content on social media, which I read a lot. For instance, I’m a big advocate of LinkedIn because it has very interesting discussions.”

India’s innovation renaissance

Shaw was at WAVES, discussing the theme “India's Innovation Renaissance: The Next Decade of Global-First Startups.” During this discussion, she highlighted how the “orange economy” — built on creativity, culture, and content — can become a powerful driver of economic growth. Shaw pointed out that media and entertainment have long served as the launchpad for creative economies worldwide, giving the example of Harry Potter, and how cultural stories can propel a country like the UK onto the global stage and create lasting economic value.

With Baahubali, she sees a fresh opportunity to build an ecosystem of products, experiences, and global narratives. The real challenge, she said, is to create stories from every part of India and take them to the world. Technology can act as a launchpad for this effort, helping carry India’s rich traditions to global audiences. During the discussion, she spoke about how Star Wars creator George Lucas had drawn inspiration from the Ramayan, showing that Indian stories have universal appeal.