The Heritage Academy, in collaboration with Candid by Paromita, hosted the National PR Day Conclave 2026 on the theme “Digital PR in the Age of AI & Virality: Managing Reputation & Crisis,” bringing together professionals from media, healthcare, corporate communications, advertising, filmmaking, radio and academia.

Speakers said digital media has become the primary communications ecosystem, requiring public relations professionals to adapt through technology, creativity and audience insight.

Dr Kunal Sarkar, Director and Cardiac Surgeon at Manipal Hospitals, highlighted the growing importance of data alongside basic resources and pointed to increasing digital penetration across India. He noted the dominance of mobile internet usage and said communication strategies must reflect evolving consumption patterns. He also emphasised the need for multilingual AI models and cross-platform communication.

Dr Rupak Barua, MD and CEO of Woodlands Hospitals, spoke about the speed at which information spreads in the smartphone era and stressed the need for clear standard operating procedures and designated communication leads to manage crises.

Sumit Das Gupta, Founder of ALLCAP Communications, said short-form content and creator-led narratives are shaping communication, requiring platform-specific strategies. K Sunil Kumar of JIS Group highlighted the role of SWOT analysis in communication planning and reputation management.

Sumona Chatterjee of Bandhan Bank said PR is increasingly driven by content strategy and audience mapping. Smita Roy Chowdhury, Editor of T2, said AI should support, not replace, human judgment and creativity.

Samrat Mukherjee of Madison World discussed prompt engineering as an emerging skill and said virality depends on consumer experience. Jimmy Tangree of 91.9 Friends FM said AI is being used in radio production but requires human input. Filmmaker Dhrubo Banerjee emphasised the importance of originality in storytelling.

The conclave concluded that public relations is evolving alongside AI, with continued emphasis on trust, crisis preparedness and audience-focused communication.

Pradip Agarwal, CEO of Heritage Group of Institutions, said the conclave provided a platform to examine how AI can be integrated into communication practices. Paromita Ghosh of Candid by Paromita and Dr Madhupa Bakshi of The Heritage Academy said credibility, ethical responsibility and human insight remain central to communication despite technological change.

Also Read: AISECT India to Host 5th Samarth Bharat Conclave in Bhopal