India hosts AI Summit in Delhi, positioning itself as tech's safe harbor amid global tensions

Could India challenge tech boss power at Delhi AI Impact Summit?

Those who shout the loudest about artificial intelligence tend to be in the West, notably the US and Europe. So it's significant that a gathering of powerful leaders is being held in the Global South, a region of the world that runs the risk of being left behind in the AI race. Tech bosses, politicians, scientists, academics and campaigners are meeting at the AI Impact Summit in India this week for top-level discussions about what the world should be doing to try to marshal the AI revolution in the right direction. At last year's AI Action Summit, as it was then known, an ugly power struggle broke out between some Western countries over who should be in charge. The various Western powers jostled for pole position in Paris, and US vice president JD Vance delivered a blistering speech in which he said America's place at the top of the pack was non-negotiable. I suspect there may be a more humble vibe this week in Delhi: the capital of a country which has helped to build the foundations that support this mega-powerful new tech - but is not reaping as much reward as the more affluent west. There are some significant AI hubs in India, including in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai. It has a large tech workforce, and has attracted some big infrastructure investments from the likes of Google, Nvidia and Amazon. At the same time, low-paid workers there have long been carrying out the unseen and painstaking task of manually categorising the vast amounts of data used to train the world's AI tools. In her book Empire of AI, the journalist Karen Hao writes about an unnamed firm in India which was contracted to do content moderation of AI-generated images: she claimed it included workers looking at horrifying ones to decide which should be blocked from being reproduced. According to the recruitment website Glassdoor, the average salary for an AI data trainer in Chennai is 480,000 rupees - less than £4,000 ($5,000) per year. It's an essential role, but to put this into perspective OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, is valued at over $500bn. The 2026 International AI Safety Report notes that while "in some countries over 50% of the population uses AI, across much of Africa, Asia, and Latin America adoption rates likely remain below 10%." The world's biggest US AI chatbots do not work in all of India's 22 official languages - let alone the hundreds of dialects that exist within them. ChatGPT and Claude currently support around half of them. Google's Gemini supports nine. "Without tech that understands and speaks these languages, millions are excluded from the digital revolution - especially in education, governance, healthcare, and banking," Professor Pushpak Bhattacharyya, from IIT Mumbai, told the BBC last summer. To counter this, India is building its own sovereign AI platforms - the Indian government calls this the AI Mission - but progress is relatively slow. While the US products - as well as Chinese ones such as DeepSeek and ByteDance - race ahead with new releases, many of India's remain in development. The Indian government budget of $1.2bn for this project pales into comparison of the deep pockets of the multi-billion dollar corporations. Before Christmas, an Indian government official told me, perhaps unsurprisingly, that India has little interest in AI's geopolitical power struggles. The country's focus is on harnessing the tech to drive its own growth. "For India, this is about more than technology, it is about economic transformation, digital sovereignty and building capability at scale," said Rajan Anandan, managing director at one of India's biggest tech investors Peak XV. "Within the country there is a strong sense of momentum and confidence." The US, meanwhile, may find itself rather unusually forced into more of a back seat. I imagine it's not going to like that very much. "The Americans will have less to say with the Summit's proposed bottom-up, Global South approach to AI governance that focuses on people, planet and progress," says Professor Gina Neff, an AI ethics expert from Queen Mary University London. "We need governments to act together to shape a more inclusive, democratic and people-centred vision of AI in the face of unprecedented corporate power," argues Jeni Tennison, executive director of the think tank Connected by Data. "As the world's largest 'middle power', India could make that happen," she adds. AI expert Henry Ajder agrees. "I hope we will see pragmatic efforts to move beyond a legislative patchwork towards meaningful consensus in addressing AI harms, maliciously caused or otherwise," he told me. Amanda Brock, chief executive of tech industry body OpenUK, thinks the answer is to force the AI companies to share how their products work so that others can build their own versions, make improvements and properly scrutinise the tech. "For this summit to have any real impact for the Global South, there needs to be access for all to AI and that can only be achieved by opening it up," she argues. There has been movement in that direction, but many of the AI giants are still keeping key elements, such as what training data they use, confidential. Some AI experts have told me privately that they are concerned about how far down the agenda safety and responsibility appears to have slipped. After the first AI Safety Summit, held in the UK in 2023, the word "safety" was quietly dropped from its title. One expert told me they have decided not go to Delhi at all this week as they have little confidence in any meaningful outcomes from it. British computer scientist Professor Dame Wendy Hall is attending the Summit but told me she shares these concerns. She fears there will be "nothing significant" from the event about how to minimise the dangers posed by AI. "It's important that we go but my expectations of anything useful coming out of it are very low," she said. Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here.

Summit may Issue Declaration for Democratised AI

With a focus on expanding the generational benefits of artificial intelligence to the Global South, the India AI Impact Summit, which opened in the National Capital on Monday, may culminate in a Delhi Declaration, said people with knowledge of the matter. With a focus on expanding the generational benefits of artificial intelligence to the Global South, the India AI Impact Summit, which opened in the National Capital on Monday, may culminate in a Delhi Declaration, said people with knowledge of the matter. The PM inaugurated the largest exhibition of AI use cases and services ever brought under one roof at the expo taking place at the summit. The multilateral agreement is expected to call for greater democratisation of AI resources and a standardised framework for its deployment across sectors, they said. Establishing a formal global creative commons regime for AI will also feature in the joint statement. The statement is being given finishing touches. It will be deliberated upon by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other world leaders on Thursday. Beyond multilateral deliberations, Modi is expected to hold bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and Swiss President Guy Parmelin, said the people cited. He is also likely to hold discussions with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Dutch PM Dick Schoof, among others. "AI today is transforming several sectors, including healthcare, education, agriculture, governance and enterprise," the PM posted on X. "The AI Impact Summit will enrich global discourse on diverse aspects of AI, such as innovation, collaboration, responsible use and more. I am confident that the outcomes of the summit will help shape a future that is progressive, innovative and opportunity-driven." Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union minister for electronics and IT, said India is trying to reach a consensus on the challenges between AI and copyright. Instead of a single regulation, a series of techno-legal solutions and broad consensus would be needed, he said on the sidelines of the summit. The Centre last year proposed allowing AI models to use copyrighted content for training, while sharing revenue with rights holders, a process which officials have said would be complex but necessary. The summit runs through February 16-20. Global tech leaders including OpenAI's Sam Altman, Anthropic's Dario Amodei, Google chief executive Sundar Pichai and Microsoft president Brad Smith are also scheduled to make the case for AI, and outline their India bets later this week at the summit. They will be joined by top Indian business leaders including Reliance Industries chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani, Infosys chairman Nandan Nilekani and Wipro executive chairman Rishad Premji, among others. Industry participation is key to shoulder the massive capital burden of establishing AI infrastructure in India. This comes at a time when there is a race between the US and China over AI supremacy and India is trying to carve out a stronghold for itself. The government has announced a Rs 10,000-crore AI Mission to subsidise compute, fund local language models and is supporting research and development. Meanwhile, AI giants such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Perplexity are doubling down on India, which offers a large user base. In the past year, most of the firms have expanded their presence, opening dedicated offices and offering India-specific products. Given the constraints of how much public resources will be actually expended on AI, the vision of India's AI Mission was to create partnerships, whether in creating compute capacity, skilling, or establishing models and databases, electronics and IT secretary S Krishnan said at the summit. "Instead of directly subsidising the establishment of AI-based compute, we've said we would subsidise access," he told ET. "We have underwritten the market and ensured that researchers, innovators, small and medium enterprises, students, all have access at reasonable prices to AI compute."

At Global AI Summit, India stakes claim as tech's safe harbor

India is hosting a Global AI Summit to showcase its potential as a leading AI technology destination. The nation highlights its successful adoption of new technologies like Aadhaar, UPI, and Covid vaccines. This citizen-centric approach builds trust and creates a large market. India aims to develop a positive AI ecosystem, focusing on chip manufacturing, energy, and job creation. New Delhi: India hosting the Global AI Summit bears a significant strategic message of positioning itself as the least controversial, most adaptable and investible destination for AI tech expansion - a stark contrast to the US-China sparring that forces tech majors to factor in political implications. India has a good case to make. There are broadly four pillars to a credible AI ecosystem - a robust chip-making industry; energy capacity to support the ecosystem; chip research and design capacity; and deployment plus diffusion in a growing market. The last two are advantageous for India while it needs to catch up on the other two. This is a good score compared to many other countries. But the most important part which buttresses India's case is that it comes with no controversial political overhang, neither international nor domestic, in deeply divided times. In this context, the successful conclusion of the two trade deals with the US and the European Union were vital in admonishing any doubt created by the Trump administration's Russia-linked tariffs. A strong US presence at the summit, led by Trump's chief science advisor Michal Kratsios, conveys both trust and intent that both sides want to be on the same page on this conversation. Internally, India's experience is quite different. In fact, this effort seeks to leverage domestic political capital for strategic gain at a time democracies are struggling with fractious polity. How? A story of the last decade that often gets lost in the din is the relative ease with which new tech has found acceptability in larger India as a reliable medium for delivery of social goods, thus creating a ready big market with opportunity. In fact, regardless of debates elsewhere, the credibility of new technology in India as a tool for social empowerment, hence economic opportunity, is quite high. Three examples stand out over the past decade 1) Acceptability of Aadhaar and the successful evolution of the JAM trinity, enabling direct transfer of welfare money into beneficiary accounts 2) UPI payment revolution, accounting for a majority chunk of the world's digital payment transactions 3) Acceptability of Covid vaccines, allowing for one of the fastest vaccination exercises of almost the entire eligible population. The common strand in all three was that citizen-centric benefits from new tech far outweighed the doubts that often clouded debates elsewhere, like with vaccines. There were concerns here too, be it around data privacy with Aadhaar, possibility of financial fraud through UPI and long-term health complications with new vaccines. But they were dealt with, because generally popular support was with sustenance of new technology as it was dramatically changing the way daily lives were being lived. India's AI pitch is another extension on this citizen-centric model, positioning new technology as a force for good. India's own showcasing of AI use is around service delivery for public benefit. This unanimity around how AI can improve governance is, perhaps, the biggest plus for an industry looking for both credibility and acceptability - away from controversy and politics. From an Indian standpoint, this positioning gives it the best opportunity to help develop a positive AI ecosystem, especially with chip making and energy options besides jobs. But as has been the case with India in the past, the promise often fails to convert. Which is why it's vital not to forget the strategic purpose behind this summit, its importance in the current geopolitical context and the imperativeness of making it work.

India AI Impact Summit opens today in New Delhi; PM Modi to welcome world leaders - The Economic Times

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will inaugurate the summit, said the event will focus on harnessing AI for "human-centric progress", anchored in the theme "Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya" or welfare for all, happiness for all.The India AI Impact Summit will open today at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, bringing global tech leaders, policymakers and researchers in one place, as the government looks to position the country at the forefront of the artificial intelligence (AI) movement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will inaugurate the summit, said the event will focus on harnessing AI for "human-centric progress", anchored in the theme "Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya" or welfare for all, happiness for all. The three-day summit will see participation from top executives of leading AI companies across the globe, including a keynote by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, senior leaders from major cloud and chipmakers, as well top executives from Indian IT services companies, startups and academic researchers. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who was earlier expected to attend, has cancelled his India visit, though the semiconductor giant's role in the AI ecosystem will feature prominently in discussions. In a series of posts on X ahead of the summit, Modi said AI is already transforming sectors such as healthcare, education, agriculture, governance and enterprise. "The AI Impact Summit will enrich global discourse on diverse aspects of AI, such as innovation, collaboration, responsible use and more. I am confident that the outcomes of the Summit will help shape a future that is progressive, innovative and opportunity-driven," Modi wrote on X. The summit will host sessions on innovation, global collaboration, responsible AI and safety, as well as country-specific showcases and industry roundtables. Entry will be restricted on the first day of the event, and the expo being organised along with it will open for all from February 17. The Expo will feature 13 country/region pavilions, showcasing international collaboration in the AI ecosystem, from Australia, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Serbia, Estonia, Tajikistan, and Africa. In all, the expo will host over 300 curated exhibition pavilions and live demonstrations, structured across three thematic chakras: people, planet and progress.

India stands at forefront of AI transformation: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India stands at the forefront of the artificial intelligence transformation and its strides in AI reflect both ambition and responsibility. His remarks came on a day when he is set to inaugurate the India AI Impact Expo 2026 at the Bharat Mandapam here. The India AI Impact Expo 2026 will be held from February 16-20, alongside the India AI Impact Summit at the Bharat Mandapam. In a post on X, Modi said, "Bringing the world together to discuss AI! Starting today, India hosts the AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi. I warmly welcome world leaders, captains of industry, innovators, policymakers, researchers and tech enthusiasts from across the world for this Summit." The theme of the summit is "Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya" or welfare for all, happiness for all, reflecting our shared commitment to harnessing artificial intelligence for human-centric progress, he said. Modi pointed out that AI today is transforming several sectors, including healthcare, education, agriculture, governance and enterprise. The AI Impact Summit will enrich global discourse on diverse aspects of AI, such as innovation, collaboration, responsible use and more, he said. "I am confident that the outcomes of the Summit will help shape a future that is progressive, innovative and opportunity-driven," Modi said. "Thanks to the 1.4 billion people of India, our nation stands at the forefront of the AI transformation. From digital public infrastructure to a vibrant StartUp ecosystem and cutting-edge research, our strides in AI reflect both ambition and responsibility," the prime minister said. Modi on Sunday pitched India as a global hub for digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence, saying the country is ready to host the world's data and lead the next wave of the technology revolution. "The tax incentives announced in the Budget are designed to accelerate investment in this space, lower the cost of building advanced facilities and position India as a globally-competitive destination for data infrastructure," Modi said in an exclusive interview to PTI. In a strong global-outreach message, the prime minister had said, "We invite the whole world's data to reside in India!"

"World is coming to India": PM Modi welcomes delegates to the AI-India Impact Summit 2026

Tech leaders converge in New Delhi for the AI India Impact Summit, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The event, featuring a massive expo and over 500 sessions, highlights India's rapid progress in AI and its commitment to shaping an inclusive global AI future. The summit also unveils 12 indigenous foundation models developed for India's diverse linguistic landscape. New Delhi: The tech leaders of the World are in India today as the Medga AI-India Impact summit gets underway in the capital. The AI India Expo will be inaugurated later in the day by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Prime Minister on Monday welcomed the delegates to the mega event highlighting the role of the country's youth in driving technological progress. In a post on X, PM Modi wrote," It is a matter of immense pride for us that people from all over the world are coming to India for the India AI Impact Summit. This also shows the capability of our country's youth. This occasion is further proof that our country is progressing rapidly in the field of science and technology and is making an important contribution to global development." PM Modi will inaugurate the India AI Impact Expo 2026 at the Bharat Mandapam in the national capital. The India AI Impact Expo 2026 will be held from February 16 to 20 alongside the India AI Impact Summit and is envisioned as a national showcase of artificial intelligence in action, bringing together policy, innovation, and large-scale implementation under one platform. The Expo will be held across 10 arenas covering more than 70,000 square metres and will host global technology companies, startups, academia, research institutions, Union Ministries, State Governments, and international partners. Thirteen country pavilions will highlight international collaboration in the AI ecosystem, including participation from Australia, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Serbia, Estonia, Tajikistan and African nations. ALSO READ: India AI Summit: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang cancels trip to New Delhi More than 300 curated exhibition pavilions and live demonstrations will be organised across three thematic "chakras"--People, Planet, and Progress--reflecting AI's broad-based impact across sectors. Over 600 high-potential startups are set to participate, many of which are building globally relevant and population-scale AI solutions already deployed in real-world settings. The Expo is also expected to attract over 2.5 lakh visitors, including international delegates, and aims to foster global partnerships and business opportunities within the AI ecosystem. In addition, more than 500 sessions featuring over 3,250 speakers and panellists will be conducted during the event. Meanwhile, the Impact Summit, the first international AI summit hosted in the Global South, will showcase New Delhi's ambition: to shape an AI future that is inclusive, responsible, and impactful. Under the IndiaAI Mission, the country is unveiling 12 indigenous foundation models developed by homegrown startups and consortia, trained on vast Indian datasets and tailored to the nation's 22 official languages. The summit will showcase them alongside the AI Impact Expo, a sprawling 70,000-square-metre showcase of real-world applications, from precision farming to accessible education. For India, a nation projected to see its AI market surge past USD 17 billion by 2027, this summit is more than a diplomatic triumph - it's a declaration of intent. With 800 million internet users, a booming startup scene, and world-class digital public infrastructure, India is positioning itself as the bridge between innovation and impact. (ANI)

Data centres to be massive job creator: PM Modi

This comes a day before the PM opens the India AI Impact Summit and Expo at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The high-powered event, being held from February 16 to 20, will be the first-ever AI summit hosted in the global south and is anchored in the three guiding principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. Prime minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that data centres will be a massive job creator for India's youth. "We invite the whole world's data to reside in India," he told PTI in an exclusive interview. "India is laying the foundation for a thriving AI ecosystem by expanding computing power and data centre infra," he said. This comes a day before the PM opens the India AI Impact Summit and Expo at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The high-powered event, being held from February 16 to 20, will be the first-ever AI summit hosted in the global south and is anchored in the three guiding principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The government, in the union budget this year, proposed a 20-year tax holiday for foreign companies providing cloud services from India. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said the incentive is aimed at drawing long-term capital and strengthening India's rapidly expanding data centre ecosystem. India is witnessing some of the largest data centre investments globally, led by cloud computing giants such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services, which have together committed about $40 billion in investments in 2025 alone.

PM Modi to inaugurate India AI Impact Expo on Feb 16

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the India AI Impact Expo 2026 on Monday at the Bharat Mandapam, his office said. The India AI Impact Expo 2026 will be held from February 16-20, alongside the India AI Impact Summit at the Bharat Mandapam, a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said. The exhibition will serve as a national demonstration of AI in action, where policy meets practice, innovation meets scale, and technology meets the everyday citizen. Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate the India AI Impact Expo 2026 on February 16 at 5 pm at Bharat Mandapam here, the statement said. Spread across 10 arenas covering more than 70,000 square metres, the Expo will bring together global technology firms, startups, academia and research institutions, Union ministries, state governments and international partners. The Expo will also feature 13 country pavilions, showcasing international collaboration in the AI ecosystem. These include pavilions from Australia, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Serbia, Estonia, Tajikistan and Africa. It will host over 300 curated exhibition pavilions and live demonstrations, structured across three thematic chakras -- people, planet and progress, the statement said. In addition, the Expo will feature over 600 high-potential startups, many of them building globally relevant and population-scale solutions. These startups will demonstrate working solutions that are already deployed in real-world settings, it said. The India AI Impact Expo 2026 is expected to witness the participation of over 2.5 lakh visitors, including international delegates. The event aims to foster new partnerships and create business opportunities within the global AI ecosystem. Over 500 sessions will be organised, featuring more than 3,250 visionary speakers and panel members. These sessions will focus on acknowledging the transformative impact of AI across sectors and deliberating on future actions to ensure that AI benefits every global citizen.

AI Impact Summit 2026: PM Modi invites global data to "reside in India"

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invitation for the world's data to "reside in India" marks a shift in the country's economic focus, moving from being a major consumer of digital services to becoming the physical host of the global digital economy. In an interview with PTI, the Prime Minister described data centers as the "foundational layer" of the modern era. This pitch served as a strategic prelude to the Global AI Impact Summit, signaling that India is ready to anchor the world's information within its borders, backed by unprecedented fiscal policy and infrastructure scaling. Also read: Global AI commons: India's most ambitious tech diplomacy pitch yet India's ambition to lead the AI revolution is being built on a massive expansion of its data center capacity, which is projected to surge to approximately 2 gigawatts (GW) by 2027. During his interview, the Prime Minister emphasized that while software often captures the imagination, the physical servers and cooling systems are the true engines of progress. This industrial push involves an estimated $90 billion investment pipeline already announced, with major hubs expanding in Navi Mumbai, Chennai, and Hyderabad. By localizing data storage, India intends to bridge the gap between its high data consumption and its processing power, ensuring that the "raw material" of the AI age stays close to the chips that refine it. Also read: India AI Impact Summit 2026: Why India's global south AI Summit changes everything Aggressive incentives in the Union Budget 2026-27 provide the commercial teeth to this invitation, specifically targeting global cloud giants. To encourage long-term residency, the government has introduced a tax holiday that extends until 2047, the centenary of India's independence, for foreign companies providing global cloud services from Indian soil. This two-decade guarantee is paired with a new 15% Safe Harbour margin for related-party transactions, designed to eliminate the tax friction and transfer pricing disputes that often deter multinational investors. By offering a predictable, low-tax environment, India is positioning itself as a stable sanctuary for the capital-intensive assets of companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. Leadership in the AI age requires more than just high-speed connectivity; it requires a seat at the global table of compute power and data sovereignty. The Prime Minister remarked that while India was a bystander in previous industrial revolutions, it refuses to be left behind in the data-driven shift. As world leaders like Emmanuel Macron and Lula da Silva gather at Bharat Mandapam for the summit, they are meeting a nation that has integrated its fiscal, digital, and energy policies into a single cohesive vision. By 2047, the goal is for India to be a "full-stack" AI leader, where the world's data is not just stored, but where global intelligence is actively manufactured and governed. The current strategy reflects a sophisticated understanding of the AI supply chain. By securing the "physical layer" - the land, power, and hardware - India is ensuring that it does not merely export talent, but imports the very infrastructure that will define 21st-century power. As the Prime Minister noted, the expansion of these data centers will create massive opportunities for India's youth, transforming the "Yuva Shakti" into the architects of a global digital backend. This is not just an infrastructure play; it is a declaration that the road to a "Viksit Bharat" is paved with silicon and cooled by the innovations of a rising tech superpower.

India AI Impact Summit 2026: PM Modi welcomes world leaders, says AI is transforming healthcare, education and beyond

The Prime Minister stressed that India stands at the forefront of AI transformation, driven by digital public infrastructure. India AI Impact Summit 2026: India's biggest AI Summit has started. On the very first day, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be hosting the inaugural event at 5 PM at Bharat Mandapam. Ahead of the inaugural ceremony of the mega AI event, PM Modi has welcomed the world leaders. He also mentioned that the AI Impact Summit theme will be Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya, or welfare for all. He also stated that AI is transforming different sectors in the world, including healthcare, education, agriculture, governance and more. In his post on X, PM Modi also stated that the country is hopeful that this Summit will help shape the future better. "Starting today, India hosts the AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi. I warmly welcome world leaders, captains of industry, innovators, policymakers, researchers and tech enthusiasts from across the world for this Summit," PM Modi stated in his post on X. "AI today is transforming several sectors, including healthcare, education, agriculture, governance and enterprise. The AI Impact Summit will enrich global discourse on diverse aspects of AI, such as innovation, collaboration, responsible use and more. I am confident that the outcomes of the Summit will help shape a future that is progressive, innovative and opportunity-driven," he added. Also read: Apple iPhone 17e vs Google Pixel 10a: Price, camera, display, battery and other leaks compared He also stated that India stands at the forefront of the AI transformation. He also stressed that India is leading in digital infrastructure and the startup ecosystem responsibly. "Thanks to the 1.4 billion people of India, our nation stands at the forefront of the AI transformation. From digital public infrastructure to a vibrant Startup ecosystem and cutting-edge research, our strides in AI reflect both ambition and responsibility," he added.

India AI Impact Summit 2026 starts today: Massive AI security grid, PM Modi to inaugurate, traffic advisory issued and more

Heavy traffic curbs around Pragati Maidan, with commuters advised to use the Delhi Metro and expect delays of up to 90 minutes. India AI Impact Summit 2026, a 5-day event, will bring together global tech leaders, ministers, companies, startups and good minds. With some big names like PM Modi to OpenAI's Sam Altman to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, the authorities are deploying an extensive, technology-driven security grid across key venues. The summit is being hosted at Bharat Mandapam and Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, with the main AI expo and plenary sessions centred at Bharat Mandapam and the authorities have ensured safety with the AI tools. Security agencies, including the Delhi Police, have deployed AI-assisted surveillance systems to monitor the sprawling venue. More than 10,000 security personnel have been deployed, backed up by paramilitary forces. The area has been divided into several zones and sectors to improve crowd control. Around Bharat Mandapam, officials have stationed anti-sabotage units, bomb disposal squads, anti-drone systems, and air defence guns. Over 350 AI-powered cameras and hundreds of CCTV units will monitor movement in real time, with senior officers overseeing operations directly. Entry restrictions may be imposed at specific points based on security assessments. Authorities have advised visitors to arrive early and follow the layered screening protocols. Along with the security, the summit also promises some of India's biggest AI showcases. The expo will feature more than 300 curated pavilions structured around three themes, including People, Planet and Progress. As per the authorities, over 600 startups are set to demonstrate solutions already operating at scale, while more than 700 exhibitors are expected to participate daily. Registration for the summit is free but mandatory through the official portal, with entry granted via QR code verification and government-issued identification. Specific gates have been designated for access to each venue, and shuttle services will operate from nearby parking hubs due to limited on-site parking. Medical teams, emergency services, food courts and helpdesks have been set up to manage the expected footfall. Organisers have cautioned that programme timings or access rules may change at short notice in view of security requirements, with updates to be communicated to registered delegates via email. The authorities have warned against the heavy congestion and strict measures around Central Delhi this week, specifically Pragati Maidan and the C-Hexagon. The Delhi Traffic Police has marked Mathura Road, Bhairon Marg and Purana Quila Road as high-restriction stretches, with intermittent closures for VVIP movement. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to inaugurate the Expo at 5 PM today, delays are likely on Sardar Patel Marg, Akbar Road and Tilak Marg. Commuters are advised to use the Delhi Metro, especially the Supreme Court station, as parking is limited. Those driving should prefer Ring Road or Outer Ring Road and avoid ITO and Mandi House. Travellers heading to IGI Airport or major railway stations should allow an extra 60-90 minutes.

AI India Summit 2026 kicks off today: Venue, timings, global leaders attending and what to expect

The 70,000+ sq. metre expo will feature 300+ exhibitors, 600+ startups, and 13 country pavilions focused on AI in healthcare, governance, agriculture and industry. AI Impact Summit 2026 is kicking off today in New Delhi. It is positioned as the first major global AI Summit gathering hosted in Global South. It aims to move artificial intelligence beyond labs and pilot projects into large-scale, real-world deployment. Policymakers, technology leaders, startup founders and global heads of state are arriving in the Indian capital to showcase the AI tech. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be hosting the event today. Check out all the details including the AI India Summit 2026 Date, timings, registration, the guests who are attending and more details. The primary venue for the summit and expo is Bharat Mandapam, which is located at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. Select sessions will also be held at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan and Ambedkar Bhavan. Most sessions are scheduled between 9:30 AM and 6:00 PM. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the Expo at 5:00 PM. The five-day event will last until February 20. Do note that the Expo opens to the general public from February 17. The attendees may attend for free, but they must register in advance. Attendees must sign up through the official online portal, providing personal and professional information. After confirmation, an email with a digital QR code pass is sent. After scanning the QR pass, visitors will be allowed to enter Bharat Mandapam only through designated gates numbered 4, 7, or 10. Organisers expect over 2.5 lakh visitors across five days, including more than 10,000 international delegates representing over 100 countries. Among the global leaders expected are Emmanuel Macron and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The summit will also see participation from some of the most influential names in technology, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Nvidia chief Jensen Huang, Dario Amodei, and DeepMind Chief Demis Hassabis. Indian industry heavyweights such as Mukesh Ambani, N. Chandrasekaran, and Sridhar Vembu are also expected to attend. Running alongside the summit is the India AI Impact Expo, spread across more than 70,000 square metres and divided into 10 arenas. Over 300 exhibitors and 600+ startups will showcase AI applications already being deployed in sectors such as healthcare, governance, agriculture, education, robotics and enterprise automation. The exhibition pavilions are structured around three themes- People, Planet and Progress- focusing on citizen services, sustainability and industrial innovation. Thirteen country pavilions, including participants from the UK, Japan and France, will present collaborative research and cross-border AI initiatives.