Craft will outlast AI, says Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee has said artificial intelligence can never replace human relationships or craftsmanship, arguing that technology is only an enabler and not a replacement. Speaking at the launch of his new flagship store in Delhi's Mehrauli, he said AI is meant to aid creativity, not supersede it, and that human connections will endure beyond the current 'temporary phase' of technological distraction.

Spread over 26,000 square feet, the store features 120 chandeliers, nearly 200 antique carpets and 300 original paintings. The designer also announced a multi-year collaboration with New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The first chapter, a high jewellery collection inspired by Byzantine art, will be unveiled at New York Fashion Week on September 15.

Mukherjee said museums have become essential 'beacons of truth and information' in an age of propaganda and fake news. He added that the partnership allows him to draw on 5,000 years of archives to create heirlooms for a modern generation struggling with authenticity and identity.