🤖 India opened the five-day India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on February 16, bringing together heads of state, ministerial delegations, policymakers, researchers and technology executives to talk through how AI should be built, used and governed 2896.
The agenda ranges from practical uses—like improving road safety—to tougher social questions, including job disruption, child safety and safer digital spaces for women. Organisers also want the summit to help set out a “shared roadmap for global AI governance and collaboration” 65. India is using the event to spotlight homegrown innovation through an expo and sector-focused sessions 211.
Alongside the optimism around innovation and public-service uses of AI, some attendees and analysts cautioned that the summit’s very broad scope could make it harder for leaders to agree on concrete, enforceable commitments for AI companies 6.
Sources
- AI Impact Summit 2026: Ministry to lead session on advancing AI in India’s education system [firstpost.com] (2026-02-17)
- AI Impact Summit 2026: PM Modi opens day 1 as 600 startups showcase India’s AI ambition [firstpost.com] (2026-02-17)
- AI Impact Summit, 2026 opens to packed halls in New Delhi [firstpost.com] (2026-02-16)
- UK Deputy PM calls AI Impact summit, 2026 ‘an important moment’ [firstpost.com] (2026-02-16)
- AI Summit 2026 Updates: Make digital space safe for women, human-centric | Voices from Delhi meet [firstpost.com] (2026-02-16)
- India hosts five-day AI summit as safety concerns grow [dawn.com] (2026-02-16)
- India’s AI Impact Summit Descends into Chaos by Long Queues and Logistics Failure [techjuice.pk] (2026-02-17)
- India seeks to position itself as a global AI hub [digitimes.com] (2026-02-17)
- Modi inaugurates India AI Impact Expo 2026 in New Delhi [digitimes.com] (2026-02-17)
- All the important news from the ongoing India AI Impact Summit [techcrunch.com] (2026-02-16)
- AI Impact Summit 2026 Day 2 LIVE Updates: Applied AI And Social Equity Key Themes [ndtv.com] (2026-02-17)
- AI Summit Asserts India's Global Ambitions After Tough Year [ndtv.com] (2026-02-17)
Highlights
- Big attendance: India said it expected tens of thousands of visitors, along with 20 national leaders and 45 ministerial-level delegations 6.
- Global executives: Reports listed OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Google CEO Sundar Pichai among the tech leaders expected to attend 6.
- Big Tech and AI labs: TechCrunch said the summit would draw executives from major AI labs and Big Tech, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia, Microsoft, Google and Cloudflare 10.
- Applied equity themes: Day 2 programming put applied AI and social equity in the spotlight, following the opening-day inauguration of the expo 11.
- Politics backdrop: NDTV framed the summit as part of India’s push for global influence after a difficult year that included tensions with US President Donald Trump and conflict with Pakistan 12.
Perspectives
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Modi cast the summit as a platform for innovation, collaboration and responsible AI, and pointed to it as a sign of India’s progress in science and technology—and the strength of its young talent.
AI Now Institute (Amba Kak): Amba Kak warned that the summit’s broad focus could make it harder for world leaders to secure meaningful, concrete steps to hold AI companies accountable.
UK government delegation: UK representatives called the summit an “important moment,” and stressed using AI to “supercharge growth,” unlock jobs and improve public services.
Attendees and exhibitors: Some attendees, exhibitors and journalists said day-one logistics fell short, pointing to confusing access rules, overcrowding and long queues.
Historical Background
The summit is billed as the fourth annual international gathering on AI’s opportunities and risks, following earlier meetings in Paris, Seoul and at Britain’s Bletchley Park 6. India’s 2026 edition is also being framed as the first time the global AI event is hosted in the Global South 8.