HUL's Rohit Jawa explains AgenticAI and AI's unprecedented impact on businesses

At The Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) CEO Conference 2025, Rohit Jawa, CEO & Managing Director of Hindustan Unilever (HUL), delved into the profound impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on businesses and the consumer experience.

He emphasized how AI, despite its modern recognition, has been evolving since the 1940s, tracing its roots to Alan Turing’s ground-breaking ideas on thinking machines.

"AI’s development has come a long way, from Turing’s early theories to the current era of AgenticAI," Jawa said, highlighting how the technology has moved from machine learning to deep learning and more recently, generative AI, which is already creating new content and transforming industries like entertainment.

His statement on AI’s integration into daily life—"AI has become quite deeply integrated in our daily lives, influencing various aspects of how we interact with technology"—resonated deeply with the audience.

Jawa also acknowledged the rapid, often overwhelming advancements in AI technology. “The immense change in the capacity and capability of technology is something that frankly we as human beings are unable to comprehend,” he remarked, drawing attention to how technologies are converging and creating an exponential curve that challenges human understanding.

But it wasn’t all about the technology itself. Jawa stressed that India is in an ideal position to lead this AI revolution.

Citing the country’s digital infrastructure, including the JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhar, and Mobile) stack, as well as India’s growing internet penetration and low-cost data, he pointed out how these developments lay the foundation for AI’s success in India. "India is well poised to lead this generation of change, just as it did in the past with other technological advancements."

In the context of Hindustan Unilever, Jawa described how AI is already playing a key role in transforming business operations.

From consumer insights to product development, HUL has embraced AI across its value chain to drive growth. With a vast reach through products like Clinic Plus, which boasts the most widely distributed SKU in the country, HUL is positioned to harness AI’s potential not only in product development but also in enhancing consumer engagement.

The conversation then shifted towards how AI is shaping the future of marketing. Jawa discussed the evolution from traditional marketing, which was one-to-many with high reach but low engagement, to today’s more personalized, social-first marketing strategies.

Highlighting brands like Tresemme and Dove, he explained how HUL’s brands are making beauty experiences more accessible and integrated in the digital world. AI is enabling brands to connect with consumers in new ways, leveraging social platforms and influencers to achieve high engagement.

As HUL continues its journey with AI, Jawa emphasized that the company is just at the beginning stages of realizing the full potential of this technology. “AI is not just a tool for today but a platform to drive future growth,” he concluded.