In conversation with Adgully, Tejas Totade, Chief Technology Officer, Ruder Finn, offers a global perspective on how artificial intelligence is redefining the future of communications—from a functional tool to a strategic partner embedded across workflows. He discusses the growing influence of AI-led search on reputation and risk management, India’s role as a critical innovation hub, and why transparency, human judgment, and ethical deployment will be central to building authentic, future-ready communication strategies in an increasingly AI-driven world.
AI is rapidly moving beyond automation. How do you see the shift from AI as a tool to AI as a strategic partner reshaping the future of communications?
When you think about it from a big-picture perspective, the reason AI is shifting from being just a tool to becoming an integrator or a platform is because there are far more opportunities today to embed AI into daily workflows. That, I think, is the key opportunity for everyone in the industry—to embrace AI in a way that hasn’t fully happened yet.
So far, the focus has largely been on which tool to use and how to use one tool versus another. But the tools themselves are reaching a level of maturity where most of them are capable of doing very similar kinds of work. If you compare large language models like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, or others, their capabilities are converging.
Now, the real question is how you embed AI into your day-to-day functions and make it pervasive, rather than treating it as a siloed solution that you turn to only for specific tasks. That’s where the true value of AI lies, and those who are able to unlock that value are the ones who will ultimately be successful.
In an always-on, hyper-connected world, how should organisations rethink risk management and reputation building in the age of AI?
One of the biggest challenges organisations are facing today is that search is increasingly dominated by AI. It’s no longer just about going to Google and scrolling through links. People now rely heavily on AI overviews in search results or the first response they get from tools like ChatGPT, and they make snap decisions based on that.
Customers are increasingly depending on AI-driven search and prescriptive feedback from large language models. This, in turn, is shaping public perception and brand sentiment. Most users will not scroll past the AI overview or go beyond the first response they receive.
Managing this new reality is a major challenge for brands. Many organisations are actively working to ensure that the key messages that accurately represent who they are and what they offer are reflected in these AI-generated responses. This is still an evolving landscape, and it goes beyond crisis readiness. From a brand health standpoint, this is the new frontier that organisations are trying to understand and prepare for, ensuring they are equipped to handle queries coming from AI-driven channels.
What unique advantages does India bring to the global AI and communications ecosystem, and where does it still need to catch up?
That’s a difficult question because there are many nuances involved. One of India’s biggest advantages is its massive user base. India has also always been very open to adopting technology.
If you think about the mobile revolution or digital payments like UPI, these technologies became mainstream in India much faster than they did in many Western countries. India also has a very large and young population that is inherently digitally native, which further accelerates adoption and creates demand.
There is significant talent, strong appetite for experimentation, and a willingness to be digitally first. This openness to adoption, combined with scale, makes India uniquely suited for the age of AI. As long as new services meet certain baseline expectations, there is very little resistance to trying and adopting them.
From your global perspective, what makes India a critical growth and innovation hub in the evolving AI and communications ecosystem?
The answer is closely linked to what I just described. The same advantages—India’s digitally native population, scale, and openness to technology—also translate into strong growth opportunities.
This population is driving change and is among the most active users of emerging technologies. Education is also evolving rapidly in India, with a growing focus on incorporating new technologies into digital curricula. This creates opportunities not only for products and services but also from a talent perspective.
There is a large pool of talent that is eager to enter this space and think beyond conventional approaches, which makes India a critical innovation hub in the global AI ecosystem.
As AI-generated content becomes more prevalent, how can brands preserve authenticity and human judgment in their communications?
Authenticity will always be critical, regardless of the technology involved. If brands want audiences to respond positively to campaigns, products, or services, there has to be a genuine human element.
One important step is transparency. When AI is being used—especially in situations where audiences may not realise it—brands should disclose that the content is AI-generated. That has become table stakes.
Beyond that, understanding context, messaging, and audience expectations is key. AI still struggles with context. Interestingly, when Google redefined its approach to search in 2023, it moved from E-A-T (Expertise, Authority, Trust) to E-E-A-T, adding “Experience” as a core pillar.
This places greater emphasis on human experience and subject-matter authority. Content created by people with lived or professional experience is ranked higher.
This is where the human element becomes essential and will continue to grow in importance.
There’s also the growing concern of “AI slop”—low-quality, generic AI-generated content. Human intervention is critical to ensure brand communication doesn’t fall into that category. A human-in-the-loop approach is essential to preserving authenticity and ensuring AI-generated content adds value rather than diluting it.
What ethical red lines should communications leaders never cross when deploying AI at scale?
Transparency is fundamental, especially when engaging with public audiences who may not fully understand how AI is being used. That should never be compromised.
Equally important is empathy and human oversight. AI-generated content must go through human review to ensure it aligns with brand values and doesn’t miss critical context.
While there are legal considerations around copyright and fair use—which organisations are already addressing with their legal teams—the two non-negotiables for communicators should always be transparency and human intervention.
In 2026, how critical will data-led communication and real-time sentiment tracking be in shaping proactive rather than reactive crisis strategies?
We are already moving beyond real-time detection towards scenario planning. Scenario planning involves using AI to build audience personas and anticipate how different groups may respond during a crisis.
Even when you don’t have direct access to test messaging with a specific audience, AI allows you to create synthetic personas and test responses against them. This helps predict whether reactions will be positive, negative, or neutral, and enables brands to shape communication strategies accordingly.
Real-time sentiment analysis and incident tracking are already becoming table stakes, thanks to tools like Talkwalker. The next phase is proactive planning—message testing, scenario simulations, and AI-powered crisis playbooks. That’s where risk management is headed by 2026.
Looking ahead, what skills and capabilities will define the most future-ready corporate communications teams in 2026?
This is something we are actively working on as an organisation. I lead a team of around 20 individuals with engineering and technology backgrounds who are driving this transformation globally.
We are launching initiatives to extend these capabilities across the organisation, focusing on upskilling the existing workforce and creating a blueprint for future talent.
Understanding AI will soon be table stakes. But more importantly, knowing how to implement AI and integrate it into daily workflows will be a critical skill. The real shift will be in mindset—moving from seeing AI as a standalone tool to viewing it as an integral part of everyday work. That shift needs to happen at all levels, starting from the most junior roles in the industry.
