Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi and said the event was the world’s largest AI Impact Summit hosted by a nation that represents one-sixth of humanity. He highlighted that India has the largest youth population, the biggest technology talent pool and a thriving tech-enabled ecosystem, and noted that 1.4 billion (bn) Indians are eager to embrace new technologies. He welcomed heads of government, global AI leaders and innovators and described hosting the summit as a matter of pride for India and the Global South.

He observed that the summit brought together representatives from over 100 countries and that the strong presence of young people instilled fresh confidence in the global AI enterprise. He noted rapid acceptance and ownership of AI by youth worldwide and highlighted the enthusiasm at the exhibition. He said solutions in agriculture, security, assistance for divyangjan and multilingual applications demonstrated the strength of Made in India innovations.

The Prime Minister characterised artificial intelligence as a historic turning point that multiplies human capability and alters the pace and paradigms of development, stressing its unprecedented speed and scale. He warned that the future of AI depends on present choices and called for a larger vision with greater responsibility so that technology serves humanity rather than becoming directionless. He argued that transparency, accountability and human oversight are essential to ensure AI remains a force for good.

He outlined M.A.N.A.V. vision for AI as moral and ethical systems, accountable governance, national sovereignty with data ownership, accessible and inclusive technologies, and validation and legitimacy so that AI is lawful and verifiable. He urged democratisation of AI to ensure inclusion and empowerment, especially for the Global South, and called for open code and shared development to improve safety. He advocated global standards such as watermarking and authenticity labels to counter deepfakes and stressed child safety and mass skilling. He concluded that India is building a resilient ecosystem from semiconductors to quantum computing and invited the world to design and develop in India.