Sabyasachi Mukherjee: AI can never take over human relationships, craft

Renowned fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee says craftsmanship will outlast artificial intelligence as technologys role is to support creativity rather than replace the human element behind itThe designer who has dressed some of the most famous faces in India from Shah Rukh Khan to Deepika Padukone Priyanka Chopra Alia Bhatt and many more opened his sprawling new flagship store in Mehrauli here on ThursdaySpread across more than 26000 square feet the store is a ode to his Kolkata roots and features 120 chandeliers nearly 200 antique carpets 300 original paintings by the Sabyasachi Art Foundation and more than 100 antique textiles mirrors and decorative objectsAmong the many objects and details displayed in the store was a gold plaque carrying Mukherjees words Craft will not compete with artificial intelligence It will outlast itAsked how strongly he believes in the statement especially at a time when AI has touched almost every aspect of human life the designer said the new technology has a role to play but only as an enablerYou know what happens is that there are momentary distractions and there are permanent relationships Human relationships can never be taken over by AI We will all want to become human again its a temporary phase the designer told PTIAI is meant to aid its not meant to supersede When AI supersedes then thats the end of the world It will never happen he addedBut the increasing intrusion of technology in every sphere of life seemed very much on Mukherjees mind as he made a distinction between having access to technology and letting it take over the experience in his opening remarks at the store launchI think when you make the distinction between what is supporting and what is the main thats when your life becomes easier he saidMukherjee also celebrated his label Sabyasachis multiyear collaboration with The Metropolitan Museum of Art at the eventThe partnership announced earlier this month will see the designer draw inspiration from the museums collection of art and culture for contemporary jewellery accessories and clothingThe inaugural chapter will feature a high jewellery collection inspired by the art of the Byzantine Empire to be unveiled at a runway presentation during New York Fashion Week on September 15Mukherjee who had attended the Met Gala in 2025 with superstar Shah Rukh Khan said the collaboration with The Met came about unexpectedly after his Mumbai store was recognised as one of the best stores in the worldThe designer initially thought he had received a spam mail when the museum approached himExplaining why the partnership matters to him Mukherjee said museums have become increasingly important in a world where access to reliable historical information can be complicated by the speed and volume of digital contentWe live in very strange times because I think for a lot of people history is six years old For a lot of people history is six months old Maybe your time will come when history is six hours old or six minutes old he saidAs we live in a more and more digital world and we have very little to verify about the physical world it gets a little dangerous Because between propaganda fake news between what is being obliterated or what is being rewritten where do you go to find the truth At least I go to museums he said adding that museums have become important beacons of truth and informationMukherjees collaboration with The Met brings together heritage and contemporary creativity that he hopes will appeal to the younger generation struggling with authenticity and identity amid the onslaught of informationThere is no moving forward or having an identity without knowing what was your past and where you came from This collaboration allows me to use 5000 years of their wonderful archives to be able to build future artifacts and heirlooms for a modern generation he saidThe store pays a tribute to Mukherjees beloved Kolkata with its architecture evoking the romance of an earlier era of the city with its railway carriages steamships and the labyrinthine passagesTalking to reporters about the Kolkata influences behind the store Mukherjee said he wanted each of his spaces to carry a sense of his hometownI try to tell the Calcutta story everywhere we go because its a mad little eccentric city The main corridor that you walked in through was the Chowringhee corridor which is inspired by the iconic Chowringhee Road in Calcutta where my office is and where Tata Steel is Mukherjee said recalling the areas architecture of the 1940s and 1950s with salons and chandeliers and beautiful sculpturesA separate passage takes its cue from Hogg Market Kolkatas famed marketplace which Mukherjee remembers as a place where everything from food and clothing to flowers furniture and curiosities could be found under one roofThe store also features an enclosed installation inspired by Kolkatas tramcars built in wood and etched in starcut glass with a lifesize Bengal tiger Another space the customer lounge draws from the Bengali nachghar or jalsagar traditional spaces where music dance and cultural patronage flourishedIn Kolkata your social capital was never money it was always culture Irrespective of how much money you had it was always what you did for propagating culture that made you important the designer saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever