Modi Inaugurates India AI Impact Summit 2026

23 Feb 2026 CW Team

The summit drew participation from over 100 countries and featured a strong presence of young talent, which organisers said energised the event. The exhibition displayed practical AI applications in agriculture, security, assistance for divyangjan and solutions for multilingual populations. Organisers said these demonstrations underscored the strength of Made in India innovation.

The Prime Minister described artificial intelligence as a historic turning point capable of multiplying human capability while altering the pace and paradigms of development. He argued that the unprecedented speed and scale of AI require a larger vision and greater responsibility, stressing concern for the form of AI bequeathed to future generations. He said the summit aims to ensure AI development remains human centric and sensitive to societal needs.

He presented India’s M.A.N.A.V. Vision for AI as Moral and Ethical Systems, Accountable Governance, National Sovereignty, Accessible and Inclusive approaches, and Valid and Legitimate systems, and stated that this framework should connect AI to human welfare. He positioned the summit theme, Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya, as a benchmark for welfare and happiness for all. He emphasised that AI must be democratised to prevent humans being treated as mere data points.

The Prime Minister urged open code and shared development, called for authenticity labels and watermarking to counter deepfakes, and highlighted child safety and mass skilling and reskilling. He noted that three Indian companies launched AI models at the summit and pointed to India’s work from semiconductors to quantum computing and secure data centres. The summit will host more than 500 AI leaders and over 100 government representatives, including more than 20 heads of state; he invited partners to design and develop in India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi and set out India’s vision for the technology. He noted that India represents one sixth of humanity and is home to the world’s largest youth population and the biggest technology talent pool. He said 1.4 billion (bn) Indians are eager to embrace new technologies and he welcomed global leaders and innovators to the summit. The summit drew participation from over 100 countries and featured a strong presence of young talent, which organisers said energised the event. The exhibition displayed practical AI applications in agriculture, security, assistance for divyangjan and solutions for multilingual populations. Organisers said these demonstrations underscored the strength of Made in India innovation. The Prime Minister described artificial intelligence as a historic turning point capable of multiplying human capability while altering the pace and paradigms of development. He argued that the unprecedented speed and scale of AI require a larger vision and greater responsibility, stressing concern for the form of AI bequeathed to future generations. He said the summit aims to ensure AI development remains human centric and sensitive to societal needs. He presented India’s M.A.N.A.V. Vision for AI as Moral and Ethical Systems, Accountable Governance, National Sovereignty, Accessible and Inclusive approaches, and Valid and Legitimate systems, and stated that this framework should connect AI to human welfare. He positioned the summit theme, Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya, as a benchmark for welfare and happiness for all. He emphasised that AI must be democratised to prevent humans being treated as mere data points. The Prime Minister urged open code and shared development, called for authenticity labels and watermarking to counter deepfakes, and highlighted child safety and mass skilling and reskilling. He noted that three Indian companies launched AI models at the summit and pointed to India’s work from semiconductors to quantum computing and secure data centres. The summit will host more than 500 AI leaders and over 100 government representatives, including more than 20 heads of state; he invited partners to design and develop in India.

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