Navagunjara: Public Relations in the Age of AI

Nine Forms, One Purpose - The Emerging Identity of Public Relations

Y Babji, Editor, Public Relations Voice

The 48th All-India Public Relations Conference of the Public Relations Society of India, being held from 25 to 27 December 2026 at Bhubaneswar, Odisha, carries an evocative theme: “Navagunjara: Public Relations in the Age of AI – Tradition + Technology + Transformation.” Conceived by Dr Ajit Pathak, National President, PRSI, the theme draws inspiration from one of the most fascinating forms in Indian mythology - the Navagunjara.

Navagunjara is depicted as a mythical composite form comprising nine different beings brought together as one. At first sight, its appearance may seem unusual and even contradictory. Yet, that very combination creates a harmonious whole: each component retains its individual identity while contributing to something larger and more meaningful. For contemporary public relations, Navagunjara is more than a mythological metaphor; it is a compelling representation of what the profession has become and what it is rapidly becoming in the age of artificial intelligence.

The Odisha Connection

Navagunjara is a distinctive mythological and artistic form deeply rooted in Odisha’s cultural tradition, most famously narrated in the 15th-century Sarala Mahabharata of Sarala Das. It is described as a wondrous composite being incorporating features of several creatures and appearing before Arjuna during his penance. When Arjuna initially prepares to confront the mysterious creature, he eventually recognises the divine presence of Krishna in this extraordinary form.

The Navagunjara tradition subsequently became an important part of Odisha’s religious and artistic heritage, particularly in connection with the Jagannath tradition and Pattachitra art. The creature is traditionally represented with features drawn from different beings, including the peacock or rooster, bull, lion, elephant, tiger, deer or horse, human form and serpent. Its enduring appeal lies in the idea that diverse and seemingly contrasting forms can coexist harmoniously within a single, meaningful whole.

This symbolism offers an unusually appropriate metaphor for public relations today. Just as the many elements of Navagunjara combine to create one unified form, modern PR brings together strategy, storytelling, media relations, technology, data, creativity, ethics, stakeholder engagement and artificial intelligence. Each has its own character and function, yet none can independently represent the entire profession.

From Publicity to a Multifaceted Profession

Public relations was once largely understood through familiar functions such as media relations, publicity, press releases, events and public information. The profession has travelled a long distance since then.

Today, a PR professional may begin the morning analysing stakeholder data, develop a communication strategy, engage with journalists and digital creators, work on a crisis-response plan, advise management, monitor online conversations and conclude the day experimenting with an AI-powered communication tool.

PR has therefore ceased to be a single-discipline activity. It has become a convergence of several capabilities. Like Navagunjara, modern PR has many forms but one essential purpose: building understanding and sustaining relationships between organisations and their publics.

Nine Dimensions of Contemporary PR

The nine elements of Navagunjara can be viewed metaphorically as representing the many dimensions that now constitute professional public relations.

Strategy provides direction. Communication without strategy can become a collection of disconnected activities. The PR professional must understand organisational objectives, anticipate challenges and connect communication with larger institutional goals.

Storytelling gives strategy a human voice. Facts may inform, but stories help people understand, remember and relate. In an age of information abundance, authentic and meaningful storytelling has become increasingly important.

Media relations remains fundamental. Although the media ecosystem has expanded enormously, credible journalism continues to influence public understanding. PR professionals must cultivate professional relationships with journalists while respecting editorial independence.

Technology has transformed the speed and scale of communication. Digital platforms have made every organisation potentially a publisher and every stakeholder potentially a broadcaster.

Data and analytics provide another essential dimension. Modern PR increasingly requires evidence of what people are saying, where conversations are occurring, how audiences are responding and what communication is achieving.

Creativity prevents communication from becoming mechanical. Even sophisticated technology cannot replace an original idea, an insightful concept or an emotionally resonant message.

Ethics provides the moral foundation. Accuracy, transparency, accountability, privacy and respect for stakeholders cannot be outsourced to algorithms. The greater the technological power available to communicators, the greater becomes the responsibility to use it ethically.

Stakeholder engagement reminds PR professionals that communication is not simply about sending messages. It is about listening, understanding expectations, resolving concerns and building relationships.

And finally comes artificial intelligence, the new and rapidly expanding dimension that is transforming virtually every other component of communication.

AI: The New Member of the PR Team

Artificial intelligence can generate text, analyse large volumes of information, identify patterns, translate languages, summarise documents, monitor conversations, create images and assist in developing communication strategies. For PR professionals, this can mean greater speed, efficiency and analytical capability. But AI is a tool, not the relationship itself.

A machine can analyse sentiment, but it does not possess human empathy. It can generate a response, but it does not necessarily understand the consequences of that response. It can reproduce information at extraordinary speed, but speed does not guarantee truth.

The future PR professional will therefore not merely be someone who knows how to use AI. The professional advantage will increasingly belong to those who know when to use AI, how to use it, how to verify its output and when human judgement must prevail.

The Human Element Cannot Be Automated

Public relations ultimately deals with people. Trust cannot be generated by an algorithm alone. Reputation cannot be manufactured merely through technology. Relationships require listening, sensitivity, credibility and consistency.

AI may help a communicator identify what stakeholders are saying, but it cannot automatically determine what they are feeling. It may suggest several possible responses to a crisis, but deciding which response is ethically appropriate requires human judgement.

This is where the Navagunjara metaphor becomes particularly relevant. Its nine components are different, but they function as one. Similarly, technology, data, creativity, strategy and human relationships must not operate as isolated compartments. They must come together under professional judgement.

The challenge before PR is therefore not human versus machine. It is human intelligence working with artificial intelligence.

Trust in the Age of Synthetic Communication

The AI era is also likely to make trust more valuable. When words, photographs, videos, voices and even apparently authentic conversations can be generated or manipulated through technology, audiences will increasingly ask: Is this genuine? Is this verified? Who is behind it? Can I trust it?

For PR, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The profession must become a guardian of credibility. Fact-checking, disclosure, verification, responsible use of AI-generated content and transparent communication will become increasingly important.

The old principles of public relations therefore acquire new relevance in a technologically transformed environment. Technology changes. Trust does not.

The PR Professional of Tomorrow

The PR professional of the future will need to be part strategist, storyteller, analyst, communicator, technologist, listener, counsellor and ethical gatekeeper.

This does not mean that every PR practitioner must become a programmer or data scientist. It means that professionals must become sufficiently AI-literate to understand both the opportunities and limitations of the technology.

At the same time, they must strengthen the distinctly human capabilities that technology cannot easily replicate: judgement, empathy, imagination, ethical reasoning, cultural sensitivity and relationship-building. The profession may acquire new tools, but its fundamental responsibility remains unchanged.

Nine Forms, One Profession

Navagunjara offers a powerful way of understanding this transformation. Its strength does not lie in any single component. Its uniqueness emerges from the integration of many different elements into one harmonious form. That is precisely the journey of public relations.

From press releases to podcasts, from newsrooms to social media, from stakeholder meetings to data dashboards, and now from human-generated content to artificial intelligence, the tools and techniques of communication continue to evolve.

But beneath all these changes lies the enduring purpose of PR: to create understanding, nurture relationships and build trust between organisations and their publics.

The 48th All-India PR Conference, with its Navagunjara theme, therefore invites the profession to look beyond AI as merely another technological development. It points towards a larger transformation, the emergence of a profession that is increasingly integrated, interdisciplinary and intelligent.

The future may belong to artificial intelligence. But the future of public relations will depend on how wisely human intelligence guides it.

Navagunjara reminds us that many forms can coexist within one identity. In the same way, the future of PR will be neither purely human nor purely technological. It will be a thoughtful fusion of both - nine dimensions, many capabilities, but one enduring purpose i.e. building relationships based on understanding and trust.

References / Sources:

Sarala Mahabharata of Sarala Das (15th century); B. N. Patnaik, Towards Understanding Jagannath Worship; “The Navagunjara Motif of Odisha,” The New Indian Express (15 February 2022); “Ecological Consciousness and the Tale of the Nabagunjara from Folk Odisha,” Fundamatics; Government of Odisha, Orissa Review; Public Relations Society of India, official information on the 48th All India Public Relations Conference – 2026; PRSI Bhubaneswar Chapter, official conference brochure and related releases.

Pic Courtesy: Navagunjara in Kalamkari by K. Lakshminarayanan